


Clockwork Family

by Sportscandycollective



Category: LazyTown
Genre: American Sign Language, Basketball, Body Horror, Dancing, Denial of Feelings, Developing Friendships, F/M, Family Drama, Friendship, M/M, Oops the robots are sentient, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Relationship in background, Return, Reunions, Sequel, Slight SportaRobbie, What tags even apply for this thing, making amends
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-18
Updated: 2018-02-23
Packaged: 2018-12-17 02:22:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 19,045
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11841969
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sportscandycollective/pseuds/Sportscandycollective
Summary: A sequel to "Clockwork Dancers"Clockwork Robbie and Rottenella have made a successful life for themselves far away from LazyTown. However, when one day Robbie's clockwork gears start malfunctioning, him and Rottenella will be forced to return to the town and, all the while, meet with the townsfolk they thought (and perhaps hoped) to never see again.NOTICE: PLEASE DO NOT REPOST MY WORK ONTO OTHER WEBSITES.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> For those who are new and confused about Mrs. Brown, she's introduced in the Picture Book story Queen Anne's Lace, which can be found here: http://archiveofourown.org/works/10777305/chapters/24236109

It started with that morning.

Rottenella sat down at the table, propping up her face in her hand, the other hand thumbing through the newspaper. She flipped through several pages before she finally found what she wanted: the funny papers. She smiled as small smile as she skimmed through the cartoons, occasionally chuckling at a few of the less corny punchlines while skipping over the more political comic strips. Sure, maybe most of the comics weren’t all that funny or good, but Rottenella just liked having something new and quick to read in the morning and liked the feeling of having a newspaper. Besides, on occasion the comics were funny. Sometimes. Maybe once a month. A year.

As she read, she silently chuckled at the loud barking of Sugar Pie. He rolled into the kitchen, yapping and nipping at Robbie’s ankles as he strode towards the stove. He grinned as he stirred the goopy mixture cooking in a pot, sniffing the aroma that whirled from the pot. His smile wavered a moment, before he shrugged. He read somewhere that people like to eat oatmeal for breakfast and, while he didn’t yet understand the appeal, it at least was something new to cook. He scooped up a ladle full of the brown, lumpy mixture and poured it into a bowl, scrunching his nose at how the goop slid into the bowl with an audible _splup_. He poured a copious amount of brown sugar and craisins in both bowls before setting them on the table.  


Rottenella peered up from her comics and stared at the bowl of brown mush. She looked at her father with a confused expression.  
“It’s c-called oatmeal!” Robbie said, giving a half-smile.  
“It looks like mud.” Rottenella signed.  
“I-It could be good! B-Bet it tastes fan…fantastic!” He said, glancing down at the bowl.  
Seeing the goopy mixture only coaxed a frown from him, however. His frown twisted into a squiggly grimace before he finally nodded and sighed. “It doesn’t look very good, does it?”  
Rottenella shook her head.  
Robbie smirked. “W-Well, it was worth a t-try!” he said, pushing the bowl to the side. He figured that the Hermans might enjoy this breakfast at the least. He picked up that neither of them liked much flavoring in their foods, given their distaste for seasonings. “So, are you ready for…for tonight? You have a r-recital, right?”  
Rottenella looked up and excitedly nodded.  
“I got new dancing shoes for it and everything!” she signed happily, holding up a pair of bright purple, sparkling ballet slippers.  
Robbie admired the beautiful pair of shoes. “Wow, those are s-super pretty!” he said.  
Rottenella nodded. As she looked at her slippers, however, her smile began to fade.  
Robbie quickly noticed her slipping enthusiasm. “Are you okay?” he asked worriedly.  
Rottenella looked down sheepishly, her right thumb rubbing her left.  
“Nervous?” Robbie asked.  
Rottenella gave a slow nod.  
Robbie smiled warmly. “It’s okay to be n-nervous. I know you’ll be amazing and d-don’t worry about making it perfect, okay?” he said, placing a hand on her shoulder. “Just focus on going up and having fun. Then, maybe you won’t feel so nervous.”  
Rottenella looked unconvinced, giving a half-hearted shrug.  
Robbie gently shook her shoulder. “Come on, you’re going to do great. I-I know it! And you’ll go up there and dance, and people will cheer! I’ll cheer loudest, if you’d like.”  
Rottenella looked up and gave her father a look, a small smile crossing her face.  
Robbie grinned. “I could be like – “ he said, standing up on his chair. “BRAVO, ELLA! YOU WERE AMAZING! THE MOST BEAUTIFUL, GRACEFUL, SPECTA-“

Then, Robbie froze, his eyes growing wide.  
Rottenella cocked her head to the side in confusion, looking with concern at her father.  
“Father?” she signed.  
Robbie, at first, didn’t move. His hands went to his jaw, which was stuck in an open position, and gently began to fidget with it. Audible creaking sounds echoed through the kitchen, followed by a sharp squeak. Rottenella threw her hands over her ears at the awful, metallic sounds. Sugar Pie whined in response, his ears pinning against his head.  
With one last jerk, Robbie’s jaw loosened and he stretched it out, flinching at a few painful twinges still leftover. Exhaling, his smile slowly returned, and he looked at his daughter once more.  
“T-That was…was weird! Glad it wasn’t stuck f-for good!” he said a little too chipperly.  
Rottenella looked at her father in disbelief.  
“Dad, what happened?” she signed.  
Robbie shrugged, getting down from his chair.  
“Jaw got stuck.” He explained rather simply.  
Rottenella’s eyes widened.  
Robbie stopped and gave his daughter a reassuring smile. “It’s okay! It already happened twice this week. I know how to f-fix it now.”  
Rottenella shook her head. “Dad, that’s not good. Are you sure there’s nothing else wrong?”  
“I’m sure, Ella. And if not, I’ll make sure you know, okay?” he said.  
A beep rang out through the kitchen.  
Robbie glanced at his watch, his eyebrows rising. “O-Oh no! I’m going to be late!” he exclaimed. He stopped only long enough to kiss Rottenella’s forehead and pet Sugar Pie. “I’ll pick you up after school! H-Have a good day!” he said quickly, rushing out the door.

Rottenella watched her father leave, the concerned expression never leaving her face.

\--

The ringing of the school bell signaled the end of school. Excited children flooded the yards, filling the air with laughter, screams, and endless conversations. Rottenella was amongst those crowds, silently laughing at a joke her classmate made.  
“And that’s when he tossed the frog! Oh, he was in so much trouble after that!” her friend said with a snorted chuckle.  
Rottenella silently laughed and covered her mouth. “Your brother is so weird, Debbie!” she signed.  
Debbie shrugged. “Eh, he’s like a normal brother I guess. That’s what my mom says anyways.” She said. She raised an eyebrow as she spotted the glimmer of purple from Rottenella’s backpack. “Are those your new slippers?”  
Rottenella grinned and nodded. “Aren’t they pretty?”  
“They’re so pretty!” Debbie exclaimed. She stuck out her tongue. “They made mine green. I HATE green! Such an ugly color.”  
“I think green is nice!” Rottenella said.  
“You think all colors are nice, Ella.” Said Debbie with a smirk.  
“True, but that’s because they are.”  
“Whatever you say, Ella.” Debbie said, taking a small piece of bubblegum out of her pocket. As she popped it into her mouth, she pointed at a figure in the distance. “Hey, I think that’s your dad!”  


Rottenella perked up, peering over the children’s heads. Her excitement faded, however, as Robbie approached. She immediately noticed how his gait seemed more stiff than usual, almost like his knees were locking every other step. She noted how Robbie seemed to walk slower than he usually did, and how his smile seemed a little more forced than usual. She frowned.  
“Hey, are you okay?” Debbie asked.  
Rottenella shook her head. “I’ll talk to you later, Debs.” She signed, pushing through the crowd of kids.  
Robbie smiled as he made his way towards the woman who leaned against the chain-link fence, her honey-blonde hair tied up in a loose ponytail. He pulled out a small bouquet from his pocket before he snuck behind her, covering her eyes with his hand.  
At first, Mrs. Brown stiffened, startled by the sudden loss of vision. As she realized who most likely it was, she relaxed, a warm smile crossing her face as she chuckled.  
“My, now who could this be?” she said. She reached up and gently grazed her fingertips against Robbie’s hand. “Hmm, hands like porcelain. I wonder who that could be?” she said playfully.  
Robbie grinned and pulled his hand away, holding the bouquet up to Mrs. Brown.  
Mrs. Brown smiled in surprise. “Oh! Why thank you!” she said, taking the flowers and giving them a sniff. She sighed at the sweet scent as she turned to face him. “You really didn’t need to though.”  
“I wanted to!” Robbie said quickly. He smiled affectionately and wrapped an arm around her. “T-They were so beautiful, they reminded me of you.”  
Mrs. Brown smirked. “That’s so sweet! If not a little corny.”  
Robbie giggled. “It’s true though!”  
Mrs. Brown smiled and placed a small kiss on Robbie’s chin. “Thank you, Robbie dear.” She said quietly.  
A few children chuckled at the sight.  
Robbie smiled and shook his head at the kids.  
Mrs. Brown gave the children a look.  
“Children, it’s not polite to stare!” she said with a smile.  
The kids chuckled and ran off, singing about how Robbie and Mrs. Brown are sitting in a tree.  
Mrs. Brown shook her head and tried to step back, only to feel Robbie’s arm still pressed against her back.  
“Um, Robbie? She asked quietly.  
“Hm?” he responded.  
“I believe I’m still stuck.” She said with a little smile.  
Robbie blinked, his eyes widening. “Oh! Sorry!” he said. He tried to move his arm, only to feel it creak in response. He frowned, reaching over to wrench his arm from around Mrs. Brown. He laughed weakly. “Sorry!” he apologized.  
Mrs. Brown looked at her boyfriend with concern. “Robbie, is your arm okay? I heard it creak just now.”  
Robbie shrugged. “It’s fine! Just gets stuck on occasion.”  
Mrs. Brown bit her lip, looking at his arm. “Robbie, I may not know very much about robotics or mechanics, but I believe your arm creaking is a very bad sign.” She said in a serious tone.  
Robbie’s eyes drifted to his arm guiltily.  
Mrs. Brown shook her head. “Robbie, are you sure you’re okay? Perhaps I could ask Carlos for some grease? That might loosen your joints.” She offered.  
Robbie smiled and shook his head. “I’m fine! No need for grease!” he said. The words “it doesn’t work” were left unsaid.  
Mrs. Brown’s frown remained, but she gave a small nod. “Okay, Robbie. If you feel you’re okay, I’ll trust you. Just…please let me know if you change your mind?”  
Robbie looked at her warmly. “I will. I promise.”  
Mrs. Brown let a small smile slip and she gently cupped Robbie’s cheek. “Thank you.” She said quietly.

Rottenella ran up to the two, trying to hide her concern with a large smile.  
Robbie looked at her happily. “Hi Ella!”  
“Good afternoon, Ella.” Mrs. Brown said.  
“Are you ready to go?” asked Robbie.  
Rottenella nodded. “Are you still coming tonight, Mrs. Brown?” she signed.  
Mrs. Brown smiled. “I am! I’m very excited to see you dance, Rottenella. I imagine you’ve been practicing hard.”  
Rottenella grinned, and did a small spin to demonstrate.  
“I was right then!” Mrs. Brown laughed.  
Robbie smiled proudly and ruffled Rottenella’s hair. “Come on, we should head back so you can finish your homework.”  
Rottenella looked up and stuck out her tongue.  
Robbie looked back at Mrs. Brown. “I’ll pick you up around six?”  
Mrs. Brown smiled. “Sure. And Robbie?”  
“Hm?”  
Her smile became more strained. “Take care of yourself, okay?”  
Robbie smiled reassuringly. “Don’t worry, I will!”

Rottenella waved to Mrs. Brown as she and her father started on their way back. Mrs. Brown leaned against the fence and watched them round the corner, her smile fading as she allowed her worry to surface.

\--

The dance hall’s lights were falling dim as Robbie and Mrs. Brown settled into their seats, their programs in hand. Robbie’s smile beamed as he caught another look at his date. Mrs. Brown shifted her pearl necklace slightly, adjusting the clasp away. Mrs. Brown paused once she felt the pair of eyes upon her.  
She looked up with a smile.  
“May I help you, sir?” She asked teasingly.  
Robbie looked at her warmly. “S-Sorry, just got caught…caught up with something e…ex…exquisite.”  
Mrs. Brown blushed a bright pink.  
“Oh Robbie, you’re making me blush…” Mrs. Brown said with a giggle.  
Robbie laid a tiny kiss on her cheek.  
“I’m just being h-honest!” He said with a grin.  
Mrs. Brown smiled warmly.  
“Thank you, Robbie.”  
Robbie gently took her hand.  
“Thank _you_ , Beatrix.” He said, his movements looking a little stiff.  
Mrs. Brown’s smile faded.  
“Are you sure you’re feeling better? You still look a little stiff.” Mrs. Brown asked.  
Robbie nodded.  
“Much! I-I haven’t locked up all day!” He said, his smile wavering.  
Mrs. Brown’s face transitioned to concern.  
“Robbie, you are telling me the truth, right?” She asked, her teaching tone coming through.  
Robbie bit his lip and, glancing off to the side, began to say,  
“Well…”

The lights finally fell, signaling the start of the show.  
The two’s attention was torn from each other to the stage, where the red, velvety curtains rose into the ceiling. The curtains revealed a set covered in purplish fluffy clouds with lights that glittered and shone across the wood stage. Streams of smoke pooled from offstage, curling around the ankles of the few dancers who stood still on stage. A tapping sound echoed through the hushed air. A second of silence, then a vibrant piece of horns and brass echoed up from the pit. The wind instruments were soon joined by a flush of strings and a lone piano that lifted up and through the symphonic melody like a bird through the clouds.  
Mrs. Brown tapped Robbie’s shoulder and pointed to a specific dancer that was entering the stage with an elegantly executed cabriole, as the other dancers started with a brisé.  
Robbie’s face lit up as he watched his daughter waltz across the stage in a series of elegant leaps, jumps and turns. The spotlight fell upon her; it was clear she was the star of the show.  
As she completed a coupé jeté en tournant, Rottenella finished in fifth position, pausing to look upon the audience with a gaze of quiet, graceful poise. Robbie admired the costuming for this production: each girl was dressed in a primary colored tutu with glittery silver accents, and all had similar patterned bows tied into their hair with tiny plastic flowers. Rottenella, a sight in purple, looked like a princess in her costume.  
Robbie could feel pride and joy swell in his heart. He wiped an imaginary tear from his eye as he watched happily.  
The music slowed to a slow, sweet suite, and the other ballerinas parted towards the sides of the stage. Rottenella’s attention turned to stage right, where her cavalier leaped and turned, stopping a hand extended towards her. She gave him an acknowledging nod and a spin, turning into his hold. The two began a lovely and, in Robbie’s opinion, rather advanced divertissement, comprised of many turns, spins, and even a few flips, much to the amazement and awe of the audience.  
“She truly is wonderful.” Remarked Mrs. Brown, whose eyes remained fixed upon the stage.  
As their solo ended, Rottenella plied and exited center stage, exiting with a jeté entrelacé as the dancer in blue took her place. Each dancer continued in this pattern, each executing a series of impressive and amazing stunts, often involving flips, turns, and throws. Robbie could feel some parents grow nervous, watching their daughters be tossed into the air by the steady, but still rather small, male dancer. Robbie smiled; he knew he had nothing to worry about with his daughter.  
Finally, after what felt like no time at all, all of the girls led to the finale with a series of synchronized pirouettes, before ending with a pose, a flurry of sparkly confetti marking the end of the show.

The house erupted into applause, with Robbie and Mrs. Brown jumping to their feet and cheering loudly. Rottenella finally allowed her stoic gaze to break, and she grinned happily as she found her father and teacher in the crowd, looking as proud as can be. The conductor and the director came onto the stage and took their bows before allowing the girls to reunite with their parents.  
Rottenella skipped down the stage, passing by clusters of families hugging and giving out beautiful bouquets of flowers. She waded through the sea of bodies, finally spotting her father at the back of the wave, holding onto Mrs. Brown’s hand.  
She smiled and felt elated. She always loved seeing her father so happy with his girlfriend, and admittedly felt a little pride at knowing she played a part in their relationship.  
She pushed past another man in a coat, momentarily losing sight of her father. As she pushed past, however, she stopped.  
She noticed that Robbie had frozen, and Mrs. Brown was rushing to his side, looking at him quite worriedly.  
Rottenella felt a pang of fear, and her view was soon obscured by another pair of happy parents. Frowning, she pushed past, shoving through the throng of distracted, thrilled parents.  
She caught another, brief glimpse. Robbie looked incredibly uneasy, and a stiffly moving arm reached towards Mrs. Brown’s shoulder. Mrs. Brown was saying something hastily, but in the din of cheering and camera flashes, Rottenella couldn’t hear a thing.  
Another parent pushed in front of her. Rottenella squeezed past, feeling her pigtails get uncomfortably squished.  
Finally, she tumbled out, rolling and stopping a turn away. Gathering herself, she straightened out her hair, and looked back in her father’s direction.  
Even though she lacked a real, organic heart, she felt something of similar pain. Like her gears jammed for just a second, and a wave of terror rushed over her.  
Robbie was slumped against Mrs. Brown, his arms in strange, stiff corners and held close to Mrs. Brown’s arms. His key weakly clicked on his back, clicking back and forth from the same spot, never completing a full rotation. His head was slumped against Mrs. Brown’s shoulder, and his legs looked looser than normal.  
Mrs. Brown looked at Rottenella with a pleading, yet forcefully steady, expression. Like she wasn’t sure whether to beg Rottenella to suggest something to help her boyfriend, or to ensure that Rottenella didn’t grow terrified from this frightening event.

Rottenella jumped to her feet and ran to her father’s side. She gently attempted to pry her father’s hand from Mrs. Brown’s arm.  
“Ella, what – “Mrs. Brown began, her face pale as snow.  
Rottenella looked at her with a deathly serious expression.  
“We need to get him home. Now.” She signed with shaking hands.


	2. Chapter 2

Mrs. Brown paced around the room, gently rubbing her right hand as she swum through her thoughts. She could feel a cold shiver run down her spine as she paced, her eyes ever so often darting towards the couch. But she couldn’t look long; it was too much at the time. She sighed fearfully and rubbed her scalp uneasily. She stopped, then looked at Rottenella, who was kneeling near the couch.  
“I-I don’t know what happened, Ella. We were just walking over to you when his movements grew stiff and then…then he stopped.” Mrs. Brown said fearfully, tussling her loose ponytail free of its tie.  
Rottenella didn’t respond. She continued to stare at her father, who remained motionless on the couch.  
Mrs. Brown groaned and shook her head.  
“I don’t know what to do, Ella! We can’t take him to a hospital, so who do we bring him to? The auto repair shop? The engineering lab at the local college? Carlos? Oh, but even if we do, will they know how to help him? There’s literally only you and him, the only two robots of your kind in existence…” Mrs. Brown said, mostly to herself, as she continued to pace.  
Rottenella’s mouth formed a thin line as she rubbed her thigh. Her eyes fell to the floor in thought. Mrs. Brown was right, no one in town would know what was wrong with her father, or how to help him. She certainly wished they could, of course, but she knew they’d be useless.  
No, only one person on the entire planet could help her father, and the identity of that individual dredged uncomfortable and long repressed memories in her mind. Her fist gripped around a handful of her tutu.  
Mrs. Brown stopped.  
“Ella, please, I know you must be very scared right now, but I need you to think hard. Do you know anyone that could possibly help your father?” Mrs. Brown asked hopefully.  
Rottenella slowly nodded.  
The tension loosened in Mrs. Brown’s shoulders.  
“Oh, thank goodness. Who is it, and where are they? Doesn’t matter if they’re far away, we can make the trek.” Mrs. Brown said.  
Sugar Pie rolled to Rottenella’s side and gently nudged her tensed hand. Rottenella slowly pet the mechanical canine as she turned to Mrs. Brown. Slowly, with one hand, she signed a name.  
  
_Robbie Rotten_

Mrs. Brown quirked an eyebrow.  
“But, Ella, how can your father help? He’s the one who needs help.” She said.  
Rottenella quickly shook her head, then signed once more.  
“Our creator, his name is Robbie Rotten as well.”  
Mrs. Brown’s eyes widened. She glanced back over at the unconscious, clockwork man.  
“So, would it be safe to assume that our Robbie is…?”  
Rottenella grimaced and nodded.  
Mrs. Brown gave a single, calm nod.  
“I see.” She said quietly.  
Rottenella’s eyes fell to the floor again, and a distinct discomfort crossed her face. Her lips formed a hard frown, and she rubbed Sugar Pie’s head more roughly.  
Mrs. Brown noticed this.  
“Ella, I…your father never told me much about where you both came from, and I’ve heard nothing about this…this other Robbie Rotten. Would he be willing to help your father?” She asked as calmly as she could.  
Rottenella gave a shrug, along with a resigned, thin sigh.  
“Ella,” Mrs. Brown began, crouching to the girl’s level. “are you sure he’s the only one who can help your father? I can tell that, whatever happened with your creator, it’s making you very uncomfortable.”  
Rottenella looked up at the teacher with a sad look. She gave a short head shake.  
“He’s the only one.” She signed.  
Mrs. Brown bit her lip.  
“I see.” She said. She smiled reassuringly. “Well, you two don’t have to go alone, you know. I’m more than willing to drive you both to wherever this other Robbie lives. I do have some vacation time piled up, if they don’t accept this as a family emergency.”

Rottenella thought for a moment, before eventually shaking her head.  
“We need to go on our own.” She signed.  
Mrs. Brown looked surprised.  
“A-Are you sure, Ella? I’m more than happy to join you both.” Mrs. Brown insisted.  
Rottenella gently placed a hand on the teacher’s shoulder. She gave her a thin smile.  
“We will be fine. Besides, you’re needed at school.” She signed.  
Mrs. Brown opened her mouth to protest, then glanced at Robbie.  
“I don’t wish to impose Ella, but I do believe it would be better if I came along. You need another adult with you if this man lives far away. I don’t think I’d be doing my duty as a teacher if I left you to go alone.” Mrs. Brown said with a serious tone.  
Rottenella gave her a sadder look.  
“I would say yes, usually, but this might get messy and complicated. I just think it would be better if we go alone. Thank you, Mrs. Brown, but we need to face our creator on our own.” Rottenella signed firmly.  
Mrs. Brown nearly protested again, but she only sighed. She knew that at this point, there was no winning this argument. Despite her better judgement and her own anxiousness, she quietly responded with,  
“Okay Ella, if that’s what you believe will be best, I trust you. Just…please be careful, okay? I know you can’t call me, but if you get lost or need help, you can text me. And please, once you arrive at wherever your creator’s from, text me. Just so I know you both are okay.” Mrs. Brown said.  
Rottenella nodded, giving the teacher a weak smile. She hugged her quickly before running up the stairs. She tossed some extra clothes in her backpack before changing into a more practical outfit than her recital costume. A jumper, a long sleeved striped shirt, and some buckled shoes with tights. Seemed about right. She kept the flowers and ribbons from her dance recital in her hair. Throwing her backpack over her shoulder, she nearly jumped as Sugar Pie barked at her expectantly. She turned on her heel and walked towards the dog, ushering it into her room while pointing at her bed, giving the command to stay. Sugar Pie, however, refused, and instead rolled right back to her ankle. Rottenella sighed and pushed the dog away, pointing once more. Sugar Pie barked and rolled after her as she walked down the stairs. Rottenella decided not to fight with the animal.  
As she descended the stairs, she stopped as she finally saw Mrs. Brown, who was lifting her limp father into a large, red wagon. Once she’d comfortably situation the clockwork man, she turned and looked at Rottenella with a weak smile.  
“You didn’t say how you planned to take him with you, so I brought an old pull wagon I had at home. I think it should work.”  
Rottenella smiled, then skipped down the last stair. She ran and pulled the teacher into a hug.  
Mrs. Brown hugged back sadly, and patted the girl’s head.  
“Now remember, text me when you reach the town.” She said in a hushed tone.  
Rottenella nodded fervently.  
“Thank you.” Mrs. Brown said, giving the girl one last squeeze before letting go.

With that, Rottenella turned towards the door and, pulling the wagon behind her, ran out into the yard. Sugar Pie followed close behind, letting out an urgent bark. The two crossed onto the sidewalk and made a beeline down the street, giving only one last, mournful look at the house before darting down the lane.  
Mrs. Brown continued to watch until the two clockwork beings had vanished from her line of sight.

\--

It was a road that Rottenella had hoped would be confined to her memories. Yet here she was, walking down it once more like she had so many months ago, though now she hiked it in the opposite direction. It made her feel uneasy and sick, thinking about how, despite everything, she still had to return to that town. The town that she, at one point, had been trapped under for so many years.  
She shuddered, remembering the damp, awful silence and darkness of the storage room. She remembered the endless nights where time became meaningless, and the sky was a distant, wonderful memory. She remembered the helplessness she felt at being unable to move even her head, how she was stuck in the same spot for so long, she housed a family of spiders.  
She only noticed then that she’d stopped in her tracks, and her gears rattled from her fear. She sucked in a breath and willed her body to still again. She waited until the clacking of metal halted, giving way to the usual clicking and humming of her clockwork organs. She exhaled, then looked over her shoulder at her father.  
Robbie was laying limply in the wagon, his eyes lazily drifting to each of the road. Realizing his daughter was looking at him, he gave a tired smile.  
“I-I remember when we…we first walked this road. It was r-r-raining.” He noted dreamily, his head slumping back.  
“ _Yes, and our gears nearly rusted because we really aren’t meant to deal with rain_.” Rottenella thought darkly.  
Robbie’s smile faded slightly. He looked Rottenella in the eyes, then gestured towards a grove of bushes and a low hanging willow.  
“W-W-We were…were fine though, remember? F-Found…shelter.” He said, his smile returning to its original strength.  
Rottenella looked at the grove, her face softening. She nodded slowly, the memory of the night returning to her.

_“L-Little girl, keep dry! Wet bad for us.” Robbie had said._  
_Rottenella drew her knees up close to her chest. She pulled the edges of her tutu over her knees, her eyes looking out warily at the cascade of falling water._  
 _Sugar Pie whimpered and hid further within a thick bush._  
 _A large trickle of water dripped an inch away from their shoes and, almost in sync, both Robbie and Rottenella backed away from the mini waterfall, backing up closer to the willow’s trunk._  
 _Rottenella sighed, and looked tiredly at the endless downpour. She shivered and gently squeezed the tips of her pigtails, trying to coax out whatever water had collected in their fibers._  
 _Robbie looked over and gave her a sympathetic smile._  
 _“Robbie could sing for little girl?” he suggested._  
 _Rottenella looked up with a puzzled expression._  
 _Robbie smiled and cleared his throat. Laying his hands on his thighs, he started with a low medley. He hummed a few notes, playing around with sounds until he found something he liked the sound of._  
 _“Robbie likes adventure, but not the rain. Robbie thinks the rain is pain. But Robbie is happy still. With little girl, a home they find will.” He sang, fumbling over the last part. He gave a sheepish smile to his newly adopted daughter._  
 _Rottenella gave a quiet chuckle, and allowed a half-smile to cross her face._

Rottenella smiled at the little memory, and she allowed the clumsy melody to ring through her mind.  
Robbie gave her a sad smile and sighed.  
“I’m sorry t-t-that I lied, Ella.” He finally said.  
Rottenella looked at him confusedly.  
“About d-doing better, I-I mean. I didn’t…I wanted t-to prevent us from g-g-going back. I know this…this isn’t easy for you. I guess t-that’s what I try to make you smile. I-I f-feel bad about a-a-all of this.” He said with a sad laugh.  
Rottenella dropped the handle of the wagon and crossed over to Robbie. Leaning over, she gave him a tight squeeze. Robbie, with what control he had over his limbs, gave her a hug back.  
“ _It’s okay, Dad. I’m just glad we’re going to get you help. No matter what happens, we’ll figure out a way to help you._ ” She thought.  
Robbie nodded.  
“S-S-Scared?” he asked.  
Rottenella thought a moment, then shrugged.  
“I-It’s okay, you’ve g-got me! I can…can win fight!” Robbie said with a grin.  
Rottenella silently chuckled and raised an eyebrow.  
“I thought you’re still having problems moving?” she signed.  
Robbie shrugged.  
“T-To protect family? I’ll…I’ll do anything!” He proclaimed.  
Rottenella let a grin slip past her. She hugged her father one more time before picking up the handle of the wagon once more, tugging it behind her.

They continued for hours, walking steadily down the road, with Sugar Pie tailing loyally behind. Every now and then, the group would pass by a familiar spot from their first journey that took them so far from their creator’s town.  
The abandoned rest stop where they stopped after walking so many miles that first day.  
A lake where they skipped stones and had to unjam Sugar Pie’s wheels after they got jammed with pond weed.  
The one corner where an angry trucker chased them with a tire iron.  
Rottenella frowned. Perhaps it was better to forget that last one.  
They kept walking until Rottenella heard something ding and click, and her legs begin to slow.  
“C-Come here, Ella.” Robbie said, leaning up.  
Rottenella complied, walking backwards and crouching so her key was in hands-reach of her father. He grunted as he twisted and turned the comically large, metal key, turning it until the key refused to budge. Rottenella gave a nod of thanks before returning to the wagon handle.  
“Ella,” Robbie started.  
Rottenella turned around.  
Robbie pointed behind her.  
Rottenella glanced back, and noticed the giant, green sign that listed the miles until various locations. Right at the top was one town’s name.

_LazyTown, ¼ mile_

Rottenella’s eyes widened.  
“Y-You still sure you want to g-g-go?” Robbie asked, his voice growing shakier.  
The clockwork girl heard how her father’s voice quivered, and she steeled her resolve. Giving a determined nod, she gripped the handle harder and pulled roughly on the wagon, before picking up the pace, going from a walk to a jog towards the exit. Sugar Pie let out a bark as he quickly sped along, rolling right beside Rottenella’s heels. At the time, the girl let out a nervous sigh, feeling her anxiousness build as they turned the corner, being met with the endless fields of green that surrounded her creator’s home.

They were really doing this.

Only pausing one last time, Rottenella stomped forward, pulling the wagon and, to some degree, herself ever closer to the one place she hoped she’d never see again.  
“ _I’m ready._ ” She told herself, as she pulled the wagon over a small pothole. Robbie let out an uncomfortable _oomph_ as the wagon wheel sunk momentarily before lifting over the lip, jostling the main wagon. Sugar Pie barked once more and rolled itself around the hole as the three continued towards the distant billboard.

As the trio tromped through the grasses, Rottenella passed by piles and piles of discarded scrap. The blueish metal dotted the fields and crunched under the wagon’s wheels. Rottenella frowned, and pondered briefly whether their creator had toyed with more dolls like herself and her father. Much of her hoped not; she knew their house wouldn’t be big enough for another family of clockwork robots. She knew he was messing with some sort of invention, like usual, though what specifically she wasn’t sure. All she knew were that these pieces were particularly old, given the rust coating their outsides. They drew closer, and the pieces grew more numerous, and sometimes they would be paired with scraps of cloth and shreds of plastic. Rottenella grew distinctly uneasy.  
Before she could contemplate turning back, however, they had reached the metal pipe that functioned as the front door.  
She froze, her fist hovering right above the pipe’s lid.  
“I-I-It’ll be okay, Ella.” Robbie said reassuringly, giving her a warm smile.  
Rottenella sighed and nodded, giving him a weak smile. She then steeled herself, and knocked energetically on the pipe lid.  
Distantly, she hears a loud grumbling, before silence.  
She knocks once more, and receives the same response.  
Growing annoyed, Rottenella slams her fist against the lid multiple times, allowing the din of metallic clattering to ring down the pipe and echo through her creator’s lair.  
“Alright! Alright! I’m coming, but only if you stop that racket!” A grumpy voice replied.  
As she heard a pair of feet stomping against metal, she took a step back, protectively stepping in front of her father’s wagon. Sugar Pie halted at her heel, looking warily at the metal pipe.  
  
After several minutes, the pipe lid swung open, and a pair of grumpy, sleep-deprived eyes met with Rottenella’s plastic ones. She could feel her clockwork heart skip a rotation; it was like something out of a nightmare, seeing her creator once again in the flesh.  
“WHAT, WHAT DO YOU WANT?” The real Robbie spat, looking around wildly before finally spotting the clockwork girl. As soon as he saw her, he stopped, his eyes lowering at the clockwork robot who stood a few feet away, staring at him skeptically.  
Robbie hmphed, and looked at her confusedly.  
“Didn’t I put you away in storage? How’d you get out?” he asked, leaning against the side of the pipe.  
Rottenella glared at him, not even trying to sign her answer.  
Robbie, hearing no response, simply shrugged.  
“Well, whatever, glad to know I made an escape artist.” He said, before glancing down at the canine by Rottenella’s feet. He gasped and recoiled, pressing a hand against his chest to feel his thumping heart. He stared for a moment with wide-eyed terror at the mechanical mutt before collecting himself, sneering at her pet.  
“And you got _that_ out of storage too? Don’t you know it’s nothing but _trouble_?” Robbie asked.  
Instantaneously, Sugar Pie’s long repressed programming sparked to life, and the dog charged at the pipe, barking furiously at the lanky villain. Robbie squeaked, and nearly tumbled back down the pipe in alarm.  
Rottenella couldn’t hold back a snicker.  
Robbie leaned up and tapped her arm, giving her a disappointed look.  
“Ella.” He said, gesturing to the yapping Sugar Pie.  
Rottenella, deciding not to protest, simply sighed and walked over to Sugar Pie. She tapped its head and led it away from the pipe, all the while the mechanical canine continued to bark and howl.  
Robbie frowned and dusted off his vest, looking disgustedly at the robot dog.  
“Definitely should’ve just made a sandwich, not some nutty robotic pet.” He grumbled.  
Rottenella gritted her teeth.  
“So, what do you want? Or did you just want to bother me like everyone else in this loony town?” Robbie asked.  
Rottenella took a breath and sighed, standing up and straightening out her jumper. Stepping to the side, she pointed at her father in the wagon, looking at Robbie expectantly.  
Robbie frowned, and peered around the little girl at the crumpled robot in the wagon.  
“What? What about him?” he asked.  
Rottenella frowned and pointed at her father more intently.  
Robbie looked up and, upon seeing his creator, forced a smile in hopes of smoothing over the growing tension.  
“Hello, Robbie Rotten!” he said, even as his shoulder shot up out of his control. The clicking of his gears grew louder and more distressing.  
Robbie leaned back and scrunched his nose at his robotic double.  
“You kept him around too? Surprised he didn’t break down sooner.” He noted.  
Rottenella looked at her creator with a burning anger, her eyebrows digging down towards her eyes.  
Robbie, not noticing, shook his head.  
“Sorry kid, but I have more important things to do then keep up maintenance for a part of a long-failed plan. Got to stay in the present, you know? No time to focus on broken down junk and all. Besides, I’ve got other plans to work on to get that flippity-floppity hero out of LazyTown fore – URK!” Robbie droned, until he was cut off by a pair of surprisingly strong hands gripping his shirt’s collar and pulling him forcefully down.

Rottenella pulled the man down to her eye level, her gaze boring daggers straight into her creator’s heart.  
“Fix. Him. NOW.” She mouthed with seething rage.  
Robbie stared with fear at his little creation, his hands digging into the side of the metal pipe fearfully in some weak attempt to avoid being thrown to the ground by the tiny, rage-filled ballerina. He made a small whimper of fright.  
“Alright, alright! I-I’ll fix him!” He squawked out, looking pleadingly at the girl.  
“Ella!” The clockwork Robbie said in a scolding tone. “L-Let him go, n-now!”  
Rottenella, looking apologetically at her father, reluctantly let go of the man’s now stretched out shirt collar and stepped back, looking warily at her creator.  
Robbie, trying to slow his adrenaline down, rubbed the stretched fabric and took in deep gulps of air. He could feel his legs wobble as he stepped over the pipe and onto the ground.  
“Y-You need to teach this kid some manners, me!” Robbie quipped to his double. “Hope this isn’t how she deals with other people.”  
He strode over towards his double, ignoring the seething glare of the ballerina girl, as he did a cursory examination of the robotic Robbie. He lifted the doll’s arm, checking its joints before gently urging him to sit forward so he could look at his key.  
“Hmm, well, at least there’s no snag in the wind-up mechanism.” Robbie muttered to himself. He stepped back as he watched the clockwork Robbie shudder and his leg jolt up, creating a mechanical groaning sound.  
Robbie put his hands on his hips and bit his lip, furrowing his brow.  
“Well, good news kid is that I know what’s wrong with my double. And it is fixable.” The villain said.  
Rottenella’s hard gaze softened slightly with relief.  
“BUT, bad news is this isn’t an easy fix. It’s gonna take me a few hours minimum to get this sorted out. A few weeks at maximum if I need to order parts.” Robbie said, leading his robotic double to lean back in the wagon once more.  
Rottenella’s shoulders sunk. She really hoped she’d only have to stay in LazyTown for a day or two, not possibly multiple weeks.  
Robbie coughed into his hand. “As you can tell, this isn’t an easy fix. So, since we’ll treat this as a sort of, you know, business thing, I’ll need some payment up front. You know, since I’m losing valuable drive-Sportaflop-out-of-LazyTown time to fix this mess.”  
Rottenella’s frown returned, and her attention snapped to her dog. She mouthed the word “trouble” to Sugar Pie, which started the canine’s snapping and barking once more.  
Robbie yelped and jumped back.  
“Got it. Fix my double, and my payment is I won’t get mangled. Good doing business with you.” He said nervously.  
The clockwork Robbie sighed and shook his head at his daughter.  
“W-W-We will…have talk later, E-Ella.” He said sternly.

Robbie, with a grunt of effort, hoisted his double like a sack of potatoes over his shoulder, walking back towards his lair. He stopped as he noticed Rottenella and Sugar Pie tailing close behind.  
“I don’t know if you know this, but I prefer to work without the company of an angry child and her little dog. So, you may want to find something to keep yourself occupied.” Robbie said. He gave a handwave as he started down the pipe. “Maybe you can go play with those noisy brats! I’m sure they’ll love to bring you into their games! At least you won’t make it any noisier than it already is!”  
Rottenella, at first peeved, felt the imaginary blood drain from her face. She hadn’t anticipated interacting with the LazyTown children again, and the thought made her feel incredibly nervous.  
Her father, lifting his head, gave her a reassuring look.  
“I-I-I’ll b…fine! G-Go have…make friends!” He said encouragingly.  
Rottenella looked at him with worry.  
Robbie stopped his descent to look back.  
“I’ll let you know once I’ve finished my work. So, go, shoo.” Robbie said.  
And with that, Robbie, and Rottenella’s father, vanished down the pipe.  
  
Rottenella sighed and stared at the pipe for a moment longer before finally turning and, hesitantly, walking towards the town.  
Sugar Pipe yapped and rolled right by her feet as she grabbed her cell phone, clicking through her contacts and clicking on Mrs. Brown’s name.  
The two continued on a slow and uneasy pace towards the town’s center as she sent this message:

_Made it to LazyTown okay, Dad is being checked on by our creator. He’s just as bad a grump as I remember, if not worse. Not sure if this was a great idea yet. Creator said it might take a few weeks. Will let you know once I know._

_Wish me luck, have to interact with the town’s kids._

_Not sure what to expect, or if I’m ready._

_Tell Debs I said hi if you see her_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Robbie needs a swift kick in the butt. But don't worry, he'll get an emotional and metaphorical one later on lol.
> 
> Hope this chapter was okay! And sorry for the uneven chapter lengths, it's just kind of how this story is going.
> 
> Thank you for reading!


	3. Chapter 3

The transition from the crunching of grass and rocks to the solid clacking of her shoes against cement broke Rottenella from the partial daze she’d lingered in during her walk towards the town’s center. Clearing the fog, she looked about the town’s tiny scape, comparing the scenery to what little remnants of the town’s makeup existed in her memory.  
If there was one thing she didn’t remember, it was how strangely curvy all the town’s architecture was.  
With a scrutinizing eye, she walked up to one building and rested her hand against a corner. She pondered, momentarily, how so many of the buildings were still standing, given that all curved edges couldn’t possibly be good structurally, and looked silly by an aesthetic standard.  
She chuckled as she figured that, whoever the architect was for LazyTown, he’d probably taken the rough sketches of buildings (drawn by a kindergartener) and used those as the final specs for the construction. It’d be the only thing that’d make sense to her.  
After spending enough time analyzing and critiquing the buildings of LazyTown, Rottenella knew she couldn’t spend all of her time just making fun of the architecture and that she’d have to interact with _someone_ eventually. Well, she could just avoid everyone in town for several weeks potentially. But…something within her made that idea seem very unsavory. As much as the rest of her detested the idea of actually interacting with the LazyTown community, she’d have to try, if only to satisfy that something else.  
Walking towards the sports park, she ducked behind a lamp post, grabbing Sugar Pie to hide with her, as she heard a loud chorus of screams and giggles. Peeking out from her flimsy hiding spot, she looked just in time to watch three children go running past, carrying a litany of toys in their pack. One kid had hair orange like the sunset, and seemed to be covered in gadgets and electronics of all shapes and sizes. It reminded Rottenella of those sci-fi movies that she and her dad would sometimes watch and, invariably, turn off after they’d depict yet another unfavorable portrayal of robots. Another child had black hair tied up in a triple pig-tail, and the third one was dressed rather formally and, unlike the other two, drove a small car rather than ran. Rottenella raised an eyebrow. She didn’t remember these three children, but she was certain they were at the dance competition.  
“Pedal to the metal, Stingy! We’ve gotta get to the basketball court before they start without us!” said the pig-tailed one to the kid in the car.  
The one that Rottenella now knew was Stingy seemed offended as he said, “Excuse me, Trixie, but I’m going the speed limit! If you think I’m going to get a speeding ticket on _my_ record, then you’d better think again!” He said in a haughty tone.  
“Well, according to my calculations, we’ll reach the sports park in t-minus two minutes! Plenty of time to stretch and prepare for our game!” said the one covered in gadgets.  
Stingy smirked. “See, Trixie? We’re fine! We’ll make it to _my_ game with time to spare, if Pixel’s devices are accurate.”  
“And they always are!” Boasted Pixel proudly.  
Trixie rolled her eyes. “Well, whatever! We should still hurry. Come on, last one to the basketball court is a rotten egg!” she said, sticking out her tongue and sprinting along.

Once the children had disappeared from her sight, Rottenella peeked out from her hiding place, staring at the corner the trio had vanished behind. She stared thoughtfully at the spot, all the while Sugar Pie rolled from behind her and started doing donuts on the pavement.  
The scenario she had witnessed was quite amazing to Rottenella, though not in a way most people would assume.  
Really, there was nothing spectacular or extraordinary in the conversation the three children had held. It was rather mundane, suburban sort of commonalities one would assume kids of their age would engage in.  
No, what amazed Rottenella was the fact that they _were_ so normal.  
Blame it on her time spent in the organic Robbie’s storage room, left in mental anguish and being locked away from all outside stimuli. Or, blame it on Rottenella’s general habit of holding grudges far longer than most would deem healthy. Either way, at some point, the children of LazyTown had evolved into something hideous and monstrous within her memories. To the point that, when remembering her few days out in the sun at the dance competition, the children were less normal, human kids and more beasts with deplorable personalities and appearances. Somehow, within Rottenella’s memories, the children borderline had sharp teeth and obscured faces that cackled with glee at her failures in dance, while cheering for their equally monstrous pink friend.  
Through a mixture of pain and repression, the children of her memory had ceased being children.  
So to be confronted with such a mundane, friendly and, dare she say it, _normal_ truth of how the kids were was…well, a little jarring. It took Rottenella a moment to remind herself that, while the pain and misery she felt was very real, her perception of the LazyTowners was most likely skewed by time and her own emotions tinting the experience towards a much darker and more “black-and-white” light, and that she had to at least try and view the town through a fresh perspective.

Easy enough to say to herself, but to practice it she knew was another story.

She continued to stare at where the children had run. She knew that the first step towards finally moving past everything that happened during that competition, and in turn her imprisonment within the bunker, would be to interact with the kids. At least say hi, in whatever fashion she could manage. But something was keeping her feet stuck on that same sidewalk curb, like her gears had finally rusted shut.  
As much as it seemed irrational, she felt uneasy.  
And extremely nervous.  
Would the kids remember her? What if they did? Would they distrust her, or worse, mock her? After all, as far as she knew there weren’t any other clockwork children like herself around, and while the children expressed awe the first time they saw her, she’d describe it as more of a frightened awe than a reverent awe.  
She shrunk back. Perhaps she wasn’t ready yet.  
Perhaps, for the time, it would be best to just quietly hang around the bunker until her nerves had settled down.  
She sighed, and turned to head back towards the outskirts of town.

In a sort of blessing and curse moment, Rottenella had failed to notice the skateboard left carelessly on the sidewalk.

Thus, when she took her first step, she gasped as her foot suddenly shot out from under her, flying forward and sending her balance far off kilter. She flew up into the sky, feeling her other foot join with the first one high above her head. She didn’t have much time, but she had enough to know that, one she hit the ground, that her porcelain and plastic form wouldn’t fair well against the solid concrete.  
A spark of fear ran through her at this idea. She closed her eyes, knowing that she had no way to stop herself from hitting the pavement hard, and just hoped there’d be enough of her for her creator to salvage and repair.  
The feeling of falling, however, was halted by something Rottenella didn’t expect. The feeling of a pair of arms hoisting her up, and she gently bounced once until she settled in an awkward but not wholly uncomfortable position in someone’s arms. She also could’ve sworn that she heard the faint sound of metal clacking against her porcelain leg.  
Hesitantly, she snapped one eye open, said eye glancing up at the face of her rescuer.  
At first, the face seemed foreign to her. It was a friendly face, complimented by blue eyes, a wide grin, and a ridiculous, stick-straight mustache that didn’t seem to match the rest of his hair, save for his impossibly dark eyebrows. He was also decked out in a rather excessive amount of blue.  
Her other eye opened, and suddenly all the pieces fit together.  
She remembered her creator constantly calling him a collection of creative, if not insulting, nicknames. Sportacow, Sportaloon, Sportaflop, Sportaspud, the Blue Kangaroo, the Blue Elf, Sportadork. She could go on.  
However, Rottenella best remembered him as the man in the blue uniform. The one she knew least about given everyone at the dance competition, yet also had the strongest idea of how her creator felt about him.  
She also knew that she didn’t know his name.  
The blue uniformed man smiled and chuckled.  
“Are you okay?” he asked, his voice full of energy.  
Rottenella, still slightly stunned by her near pratfall, could only give a dazed nod.  
The man in blue set her down carefully on her feet.  
“One of the kids must’ve left their skateboard out. I’ll make sure they put it away next time.” Said the man cheerily, before he kicked away the skateboard towards a grassy lawn nearby.   
He stood up straight, his fists on his hips and that same wide smile still stuck on his face.  
“You must be new to town!” he said excitedly. “I don’t believe I’ve ever seen you before.” He stuck out a hand towards Rottenella, causing her to jump at the sudden action. “I’m Sportacus.”  
Rottenella froze, and looked at the man that she now knew as Sportacus warily. She was at least a little taken aback by how friendly the man was, especially given how odd she must look compared to the other children. Big key in her back and all.  
Sportacus looked a little confused when the ballerina failed to take his hand, but he nonetheless kept his persistent smile.  
“What’s your name?” he asked.  


Rottenella started to open her mouth, then stopped. She fumbled for a moment, trying to determine the best way to convey her name to this stranger. She would sometimes trust that other people could read lips, but she’d been proven wrong on that assumption before. Yet, she also knew that most people didn’t understand enough sign language to be conversational. She bit her lip, and tapped her foot in thought. Finally, she decided to just try something.  
“Ella.” She mouthed, while slowly making the signs with one hand. She decided to hedge her bets and just do both.  
Sportacus’s eyes widened, and he nodded while making a small sound of revelation. He cleared his throat, then signed,  
“Ella? That’s a pretty name.”  
Now it was Rottenella’s turn to be surprised.  
“You know sign language?” she asked.  
Sportacus smiled. “With my job, it’s good to know as many languages as possible. Sign language is no exception.”  
“Your job?”  
Sportacus looked a bit sheepish as he signed, “As a, well, slightly-above-average-hero.”  
“Like a 60% hero?” she asked.  
Sportacus rubbed the back of his neck as he slowly responded with, “I don’t have any numbers worked out, but if that’s what makes sense to you then yes.”  
“You can still talk, by the way. I can hear you fine, I just can’t speak.” Signed Rottenella.  
Sportacus’s eyes widened. He gave a quick nod.  
“You sure? Because I’m more than ready to keep practicing my sign language!” He said with a smile.  
“Trust me, this is quicker. You’re good at sign language, but I’m sure you’ll run out eventually.” Rottenella remarked with a smug look.  
Sportacus gave a shrugging nod, then a thin smile.  
“A little blunt, aren’t we?”  
Rottenella shrugged. “Just saying, people have tried. They run out of words after two minutes.”  
“Point taken.” Sportacus said with a quiet laugh and a head shake. “So, how long have you been in town?”  
“Just a day. I’m here for…” Rottenella began, before stopping. She bit her lip, before finishing with, “…business. Family business.”  
“Oh? Do you have family here?”  
“More or less.” Rottenella grimaced. “I’m out here because my dad and…uncle, are talking.”  
“About boring adult stuff I imagine?” Sportacus asked with a smirk.  
Rottenella couldn’t help but smile at that remark.  
“I get it, sometimes grown-ups talk about pretty dull stuff. Probably best that you’re out and about instead. You can go run and play!” Sportacus said, before pausing. “Wait, have you met any of the other children yet?”  
Rottenella winced, and her gaze dropped to her shoes.  
Sportacus’s smile vanished. “Are you okay?”  
Rottenella nodded, before signing, “I am, I guess I’m…well…” She cringed as she finally admitted, “…nervous.”  
Sportacus pursed his lips and nodded.  
“Well, I can assure you that the kids here are very nice, and they love meeting new people. I’m sure they’d love to play with you, as long as you say hello and ask.” Sportacus said reassuringly.

“I don’t know if it’ll be that easy…” Rottenella mouthed to herself, rubbing her arm awkwardly and nervously.  
Sportacus, seeing the girl’s hesitation, bent down to her level and looked at her encouragingly.  
“If it’d make you feel better, I could go with you. Might be a good idea anyways, since the kids don’t know sign language. How does that sound?” he asked with a patient smile.  
The tension loosened in Rottenella’s body, and her unsure frown vanished. She bit her lip, and glanced down at Sugar Pie. The dog looked at her hopefully.  
With a silent sigh, Rottenella nodded and gave the hero a weak smile.  
Sportacus beamed. “Then let’s head on over! I heard that the kids were planning to play basketball.” He said, doing his signature move before flipping across the street.  
Rottenella quirked an eyebrow. Was all those theatrics necessary? She shrugged, and walked across the street casually with Sugar Pie at her side.  
Sportacus waited patiently for Rottenella to catch up. He chuckled and said,  
“Sorry, probably should’ve just walked over huh? Force of habit.” He said with a laugh.  
“ _Slightly above average hero by butt._ ” Rottenella thought to herself with an eye roll.  
Sugar Pie looked at the hero warily.  
Sportacus looked at the canine with an expression both confused and yet recognition. He’d seen that dog before, hadn’t he?  
Nonetheless, Sportacus jogged towards the park, making sure Rottenella and her dog remained close behind.

The three walked down the newly paved paths and eventually made it to the nicely kept basketball court where all the children had gathered. The one named Stingy was currently hogging the ball and sneering at the one named Trixie and a blonde boy that Rottenella didn’t remember. The gadget kid, Pixel, was sitting off to the side, talking to -   
Rottenella stopped in her tracks.  
That was her, wasn’t it?  
Well, who else could it be? Who else would have bright, bubblegum pink hair?  
Perhaps hiding out outside of town was a better idea after all.  
Rottenella was about to turn on her heel and immediately stride out of the park, when Sportacus placed a hand gently on her shoulder.  
“You okay?” he asked.  
“I’ve changed my mind. I’m going to wait with my uncle and father instead.” She signed quickly.  
Sportacus looked at her quizzically. “Are you sure?”  
“Yes, I –“Rottenella began to sign.  
“Sportacus!” The chorus of children cheered once they’d noticed their hero.  
Sportacus’s attention was driven from Rottenella to his usual charges. He smiled and waved at the kids.  
“Hi guys!” he said cheerily.  
The children ran over to the hero, their happy faces turning to curiosity once they’d noticed the unfamiliar girl that stood with him.  
“Hey Sportacus, who’s your friend?” asked Pixel.

Rottenella looked nervously at the kids, her expression akin to a deer in the headlights.  
Sportacus gave a reassuring smile to Rottenella before he responded.  
“Everyone, I’d like you to meet Ella.” He said, gesturing to the ballerina.  
Rottenella, in return, gave a very unsure wave to the group.  
“She’s new in town and was looking for people to play with.” Sportacus asked.  
Ziggy was the first to speak. He took a step away from the group and towards Rottenella, his lollipop still stuck in his mouth.  
“Do you like candy?” he asked hopefully. After the other children gave him a look, he continued with, “I-I just was curious! I’m always hopeful to find someone who likes candy as much as me!”  
Rottenella let a small smile slip past her as she shook her head.  
“Guess you’ll still be looking then, Ziggy.” Stingy said with a smirk.  
Ziggy shrugged. “Oh well! Then, Ella, do you know how to play basketball?” he asked.  
Rottenella nodded.  
Stingy raised an eyebrow. “Does she not like to talk? What’s with the gesturing?”  
Sportacus’s lips drew into a thin line as he crouched to the children’s level.  
“Well, Stingy, it’s less of an issue of her _liking_ to talk…” He began.  
Trixie’s eyes lit up.  
“Oh wait! Do you mean, she’s mute?” She asked rather loudly.  
Rottenella winced. Now they’d _definitely_ think she’s some sort of weirdo. She remembered her first day of school back at home. At least one child made fun of her for her muteness. Luckily, Ms. Brown quickly fixed that issue, but the memory still stung.  
Sportacus gave a small nod. “Yes, that’s true.”  
“So…she can’t talk? At all?” Ziggy asked quietly.  
Rottenella reluctantly nodded again.  
“Then, how does she…well I guess not _talk_ , but com…com…” Ziggy asked.  
“Communicate?” finished Pixel.  
Ziggy nodded. “Yeah! That!”  
“Well, she uses sign language! It’s a form of speaking that requires your hands, and no talking! It’s like this.” Sportacus said. He turned to Rottenella, and signed the word for “hello”.  
Rottenella obliged and signed “hello” back.  
“What’d you say?” asked Stingy.  
“I just said ‘hello’, and she said ‘hello’ back!” Sportacus said with a smile.

The kids gasped in surprise and delight at this revelation.  
“Wow, that’s so cool!” Ziggy exclaimed. He turned his attention back to Rottenella. “Could you teach us some sign language?”  
The other kids seemed just as excited.  
Rottenella was stunned. She’d received mostly neutral reactions to her muteness before, and of course that one negative experience. But outright excitement and enthusiasm? That was new. She was, admittedly, unsure how to take it.  
Because of that, she slowly signed, “I’d like to just play some basketball, if that’s okay.”  
“She says not right now, but would like to play basketball.” Sportacus translated.  
The kids, while looking a little disappointed, all nodded.  
“Sounds great! Maybe we can work on that later!” Pixel suggested.  
Rottenella shakily smiled and gave a slight nod.  
“Alright, then let’s get the game going! Sportacus, you wanna join us?” Trixie said.  
Before Sportacus could respond, he was interrupted by the bright flashing and loud beeping of his crystal.  
“Someone’s in trouble!” He announced, then turned his attention towards the streets. “Bessie’s stuck on her roof! I have to go!”  
The kids waved and wished Sportacus luck as he did his signature move and flipped away.  
Rottenella, meanwhile, looked pleadingly at the hero, but could only watch as he ran off to do his job as usual. She looked back at the kids and sucked down a thick gulp. She silently prayed that the initial niceness of the kids wasn’t just a ruse for their hero. Otherwise, this game of basketball would get painful, and fast.  
“Okay! Let’s set up some teams! How should we do this?” Pixel asked.  
“ _I_ say, boys against girls! Now that we have a third girl and all, this will be a piece of cake!” Trixie boasted.  
Stingy gasped, looking offended. “Not if _my_ team has anything to say about that!”  
The six kids split off into their individual teams, huddling together to discuss strategies. Trixie smirked at her team with an air of confidence.  
“All we have to worry about is if Stingy gets the ball. If he gets it, he’ll hold onto it for as long as he can. Play an aggressive offense with a strong defense, and we’ll have this game in the bag! Sounds good?”  
“Got it!” said Stephanie.  
Rottenella nodded uneasily.  
Trixie grinned. “Good, then I guess you two’ll figure out who’s playing what position. You know that I’m the best point guard, so that’s my job.” She boasted, before jogging towards her position.

Leaving Rottenella and Stephanie alone together.

Rottenella looked nervously at Stephanie, who seemed to be scrutinizing her with an intensity that could’ve bored holes in her clockwork body.  
“You…seem really familiar.” Stephanie noted.  
Rottenella didn’t respond. Part of her hoped that Stephanie _wouldn’t_ recognize her and, as such, wouldn’t remember the dance competition.  
Stephanie stared for another minute, before her eyes widened.  
“Oh wait, you’re from the dance competition!” she exclaimed.  
Rottenella could feel her heart begin to sink. Well, there went those hopes. She began to prepare herself for the potential sneering or comments about -   
“You were really great!” beamed Stephanie.  
Rottenella’s heart stopped its plummet. Did she say what she thought she’d said?  
Stephanie smiled. “That was you, wasn’t it?”  
Rottenella, now realizing that the pink-haired girl didn’t hate her or think of her as a monster, nodded.  
Stephanie looked excited as she said, “Well, I’m glad to see you again! It’s great to have someone else in town who loves to dance as much as I do!”  
Rottenella smiled, though her expression still displayed disbelief.  
Stephanie looked quickly at the game before she looked back at Rottenella. “You know, if we have time after this game, would you maybe want to practice dancing? I’m sure you have some moves you could teach me, and I could show you some moves too!”  
Rottenella seemed stunned, mostly just from how positive this whole experience was for her. Her smile quickly transitioned into a grin as she eagerly nodded.  
“That sounds like fun!” she mouthed slowly.  
Stephanie smiled happily.  
“I’m really glad you’re back, Ella.”  
Rottenella paused, and looked around the town. She gazed at the green trees, teeming with sportscandy, and the bright blue sky dotted with fluffy white clouds. She looked back at the other kids, who were waving Stephanie and herself over to start the game. She turned back to Stephanie, who still looked at her with a friendly smile.

Against all odds, Rottenella felt…welcome. Accepted. Even, dare she say, happy?  
Against all odds, against everything that Rottenella had expected and thought that she’d feel and think upon returning to LazyTown, she mouthed back,

“Me too.”

The two ran back over to the group, who had taken their positions. Stephanie skipped over towards center position, while Rottenella took her spot as the shooting guard.

“Okay everyone, here’s the rules! First team to thirty points wins the game and bragging rights! So, everybody better bring their A-game! Especially you, Stingy!” Trixie said loudly.  
“Hey!” Stingy said, offended.  
Rottenella chuckled to herself and, with the blow of Ziggy’s whistle, ran off to properly start the game. She watched as the ball was tossed to Ziggy, who dribbled it towards the net with Trixie on his heels. Rottenella stopped and turned, running towards the other team.  
“Go Ella! Get the ball!” cheered Stephanie.  
Rottenella smiled and picked up the pace.

“ _I hope dad gets fixed soon, but until then, this isn’t a bad way to spend time at all._ ” Thought Rottenella to herself, as she charged towards Ziggy who currently held the ball.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Shorter chapter, but hopefully still enjoyable! See Ella, nothing to worry about! The LazyTown kids are perfectly nice. Maybe accident prone, but nice nonetheless! XD
> 
> I personally headcanon Sportacus as being proficient in multiple languages, including sign language. Seems to make sense for a hero that helps kids all over the world.
> 
> Thank you all for reading and hope you're all still enjoying this story! Next we'll see what the two Robbies are up to...


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Despite the tag, I'm keeping this fic rated "G" because I don't feel the "body horror" is that terrible. If anyone disagrees, please let me know in the comments and I can raise the rating to "T" :D

Robbie grumbled the entire way down as he lugged his clockwork double over his shoulder, crossing hand over hand down the creaky, metal ladder.

“Little brat of a ballerina; I thought ballerinas were supposed to be _nice_ and _sweet_. Not an unholy terror who likes to wear out my shirt collar.” He muttered, cringing each time his double’s limp arms bounced against his back.  
The clockwork Robbie remained quiet, ignoring the complaints of his creator in favor of thinking about all the adventures his daughter could or is having while he was below the surface. Had she found the other kids? Hopefully they were all getting along. He knew how much she worried about them, and how they’d feel about her.  
Robbie finally reached the bottom of the ladder, and he strolled with his double across the wide room towards an empty work table. Rather unceremoniously, Robbie tossed the clockwork doll onto the metal surface, the clockwork Robbie landing with a loud _thud_.  
“Ouch!” the clockwork Robbie whined, flinching.  
Robbie’s face snapped towards his double, looking at him in confusion momentarily, before turning back to his toolbox.  
“You’re a clockwork toy, so let’s see…need some of this size gears...and perhaps some oil for loosening stuck mechanisms…” Robbie mumbled to himself, setting aside his tools and supplies on the table. Once he’d collected a sizeable pile of parts and tools, Robbie strode away towards a half-hidden bookshelf in the wall. Spinning the wall around, he revealed a tall bookshelf filled with parchments and drafting papers stacked in messy and disorganized piles on each shelf. He thumbed through various sheets, a few drifting to the floor, until he finally found the specific blueprint he was looking for. Giving it a nod, Robbie returned to his double’s table.  
“Here we go, your original blueprints.” The villain said, smirking as he turned the drawing towards his double, allowing the clockwork Robbie to see the outlines and notes. “I of course didn’t make you by hand, but I still had to feed a basic clockwork instruction set for the machine. You and the ballerina’s are different, of course, but similar enough.”  
The clockwork Robbie forced a smile, despite feeling uncomfortable looking at the set of blueprints. For whatever reason, he hated looking at schematics for robots and similar inventions. Probably because of how it reminded him of how distinctly odd he was compared to his neighbors and the “normal” individual.  
Robbie set the paper off towards the clockwork toy’s head, skimming through the notes. Stopping and tapping his chin, Robbie strolled towards his double, pulling at the doll’s shirt’s neckline to reveal part of his plastic chest.  
The clockwork Robbie instinctually shrunk back, his pupils dilating.  
Robbie searched around until he found what he was looking for: a tiny, black button hidden partway under the clockwork double’s armpit. He gave it a press, a short hiss and click following. With one more hiss and click, the arm fell limp against the table and, much to the clockwork Robbie’s horror, he couldn’t feel his arm anymore.  
“W-What did…?” He said in quiet terror.  
His answer came in the form of his creator lifting up his now-detached arm, rolling it around in his hands, looking for the thin seam that ran down its length. Using a screwdriver, Robbie pried open the lid, revealing the series of gears and mechanisms that run down the length of the clockwork doll’s arm.  
“Hmm, just as I thought. You need some new parts. That’s gonna take a bit longer then. At least I have those parts already.” Robbie noted plainly.

His double, meanwhile, would probably look ghostly white if he could. Using as much control as he could exert, he let his fingers gently skirt across the indentation where his arm would usually be, shuddering at the emptiness.  
“H-H-How could you just…?” He said.  
Robbie raised an eyebrow at his creation.  
“What? It’s just routine maintenance. You know your arm is detachable. It’ll be back on in a few.” He said, removing one of the old gears from the detached arm.  
“N-No! Put it back! Please, put it back!” The clockwork Robbie begged.  
Robbie scrunched his nose, it twitching nervously.  
“Look, you want me to fix you or not? If you make me re-attach it, I won’t be able to do the repairs the little girl so _kindly_ requested me to do. You want that to happen?” Robbie said, pointing his screwdriver at his double.  
The clockwork Robbie shrunk back, his eyes still darting down to the gap near his shoulder.  
Robbie sighed annoyedly and turned back to his work.  
“You know, I don’t remember you being so high maintenance.” Robbie noted, fitting several new gears into the arm.  
He paused.  
“Then again, I remember you only smiling. And talking in that stupid style of yours.” Robbie said with a chuckle.  
His clockwork double frowned, unbeknownst to his creator.  
“Hmph, probably just forgot or something. Oh well. Here we go, your first arm done.” Robbie said, stuffing the screwdriver back into his pocket. He set the arm off to the side, sitting agonizingly close to the clockwork double, though still unattached.  
“Won’t you p-put it back?” He asked.  
“Once I’m done. Too much of a hassle to snake it through your shirt and jacket. Might as well do it once all the limbs are finished.” Robbie stated, before roughly turning his double onto his stomach.  
The clockwork Robbie let out a pained _oomph_ , feeling himself clack against the metal table. His patience thinning, he looked up and shot a look at his creator.  
“D-Do you mind? That kind of h-h-hurts.” He said.  
Robbie froze, before giving his creation a look.  
“You can’t feel pain, dummy. How do you know if it hurts?”  
“I can, and I know that that was uncomfortable.” The double said firmly.  
Robbie twitched uneasily, before shaking his head.  
“Probably just something funny with your programming. I can fix that too.” He muttered to himself.  
The clockwork Robbie could feel his clockwork heart stop at that statement, horror filling him.

Robbie quickly tested his double’s key, giving it a quick crank to ensure it moved fluidly. Seeing that it did, Robbie nodded and moved down the doll’s back. He untucked his double’s shirt, lifting it up with his jacket to expose his back, a plate of segmented plastic with two small buttons located at the small of his back.  
“Wait! What are you d-doing??” The double asked.  
“Here we go. These should detach the legs.” Robbie noted absently, ignoring the double’s protest. In unison, he pressed both buttons and, with a hiss and sputter, the clockwork Robbie found he couldn’t feel his legs either.  
The doll bit his lip to stifle a horrified whine, burying his face into his one remaining, attached arm.  
“Oh, stop that. You know you’re getting them back in a little less than an hour. These reactions of yours are just some misprogramming or something. I’ll work on that soon enough.” Robbie said, unlocking the plastic covering of his double’s left leg. He frowned, looking over the mechanisms.  
“Hmm, looks like this gear’s worn down. I’ll have to go to my store room to get another one.” Robbie noted, placing the leg off to the side as he strolled over towards a small door built in the wall. Unlocking the padlock, Robbie tossed it off to the side and pulled the door open, squinting in the dim lighting of the room for the right gear. Luckily for him, the gears were located right by the door and, within a few minutes, he had the right gear in hand.  
As he slammed the door shut, Robbie stopped as he heard a muffled sound ring through his lair.  
Was that…sniffling?  
Robbie furrowed his brow and turned on his heel, looking back towards his creation. Sure enough, the clockwork Robbie was trembling slightly, his face covered by his arm.  
Robbie’s nose twitched nervously as he approached his creation slowly.  
“Are you…crying?” He asked.  
His double looked up and, despite lacking tear ducts, Robbie could tell that he was terribly distressed.  
“I’ll, uh, take that as a yes.” Robbie noted uncomfortably.  
“I-I-I’m just…don’t want to…but _scared_ …” The clockwork Robbie said with a hiccup.  
Robbie’s face paled, and his shoulders uneasily shook.  
“Of what?” He asked, genuinely curious.  
His double shot him a look of disbelief and anger.  
“Y-You keep talking about…about messing with my _mind_. But I’m fine and I…I don’t want you touching that.” He said shakily.  
“You’re scared.” Robbie clarified.  
“Yes.” The double said.  
Robbie ran a hand through his hair, a thin sheen of sweat starting to coat his forehead.  
“You’re _scared_.” He repeated.  
The double’s face grew more confused.  
“Robbie Rotten?” He asked.  
Robbie, swallowing down a hard gulp, shook his head and walked quickly back to where the doll’s legs still sat.  
“I, uh, won’t work on your brain. Don’t worry about that.” Robbie mumbled as he fumbled with the doll’s leg, inserting the new gear to replace the old one. He gave it a quick test, working the joint to ensure it bent organically. He nodded once he watched it move smoothly, placing the first leg off to the side.

“Robots aren’t supposed to be scared. They can’t; it’s impossible. So how are _you_ scared…?” Robbie muttered to himself uneasily, patting the sweat off his brow as he grabbed the second leg to work on.  
Robbie nearly threw the leg across the room as his speakers dropped from the ceiling, filling the room with the noise of playing children and shrieking laughter.  
He groaned and shot a glare at the speakers.  
His double looked up from his arm.  
“Pixel! Throw the ball this way!” said Trixie.  
“Oh shoot! Ella’s got me blocked! Ziggy, run around the other side!” said Pixel.  
The clockwork Robbie’s eyes lit up at the mention of his daughter’s name.  
“I got it! I got it!” screamed Ziggy.  
The sound of running footsteps echoed through the room, before a loud and thunderous crash rang through.  
Robbie smirked and snickered.  
“Oh geez, sorry Ella! Are you okay?” asked Ziggy.  
“…”  
“She says she’s okay, Ziggy!” said Sportacus.  
Robbie’s pleased expression instantly melted away as soon as he heard the hero’s voice, his cheeks taking on a distinctive pink hue.  
“Hey Ella! If you’re okay, maybe we could try this defense strategy that Trixie came up with next?” asked Stephanie.  
“…”  
“She’s confused about why you want to change strategies if this one is working.” Explained Sportacus.  
“Oh! Well Trixie said she saw Bobby Bird use it during the final playoff and it’s apparently unbeatable, so I thought we could give it a shot!” Stephanie said cheerily.  
Robbie stuck out his tongue, while his double listened, entranced.  
“…”  
“Ella says she’s game!” Sportacus said.  
“…”  
“Oh! And she dares the other team to try and stop her defense!” Sportacus said with a laugh.  
“What?! Oh, you are on!” Stingy said.  
“Yeah! We’ll take you on!” Ziggy cheered.  
“Then let’s get the next round started guys!” said Pixel, a whistle blow following his statement.  
The speakers retracted, the sound of basketballs dribbling against cement and feet running fading away to silence once more.  
Robbie rolled his eyes and groaned.  
“Those little brats can’t be quiet for one afternoon, can they? They just have to be noisy with that…that… _Sportaflop_. Him and his…flipping, and his laughing, and his smile, and his – “Robbie started, before stopping. He shook his head, grumbling as he turned his attention back towards his project.  
His double continued to look up towards where the speakers were, a thrilled and silly smile plastered on his face.  
“T-They’re friends with her. Ella and the kids are _playing_.” He said with a quiet laugh. “Oh, thank heavens.”  
Robbie frowned and looked at his double with a raised eyebrow.  
“Why do _you_ care about her so much? Wasn’t she the whole reason you were turned back into a doll in the first place?” He asked.  
The clockwork Robbie looked back with a frown.  
“S-She’s my daughter; of course, I care about her. What happened b-back then is in the past. All that m-m-matters now is that we’re a family and we care for each other.”  
Robbie snorted and shook his head.  
“Please. I could believe a toy learning how to be scared or about pain. You can learn things like that. But _love_? _Caring_? That’s a reach.” He said, setting the second of his double’s legs off to the side.

Robbie rolled his double onto his side, with his remaining attached arm up top. He rolled up the doll’s sleeve, stopping as he felt it catch on a gap in his forearm.  
His double, meanwhile, shot daggers at his creator.  
“You really think I don’t care about Ella??” He asked frustratedly.  
“Well maybe you do, I’ll grant you that. But, if it makes sense, you _can’t_.” Robbie explained, tugging at the sleeve’s fabric. “It’s known well enough that robots are incapable of feeling love since they lack sentience. Sure, they can learn other emotions, but love is the one that’s impossible to learn. You can’t learn how to love, you just have to be able to.”  
“And you don’t think I’m able to?” asked the clockwork Robbie lowly.  
“No, because you’re just a doll.” Robbie said with a frown. “You’re a _toy_ , created by me to try and destroy a dance competition, which you failed to do. Your purpose is _done_ , so no, you shouldn’t be able to love!”  
The clockwork Robbie fell silent, stewing with a quiet anger.  
Robbie grumbled as he fumbled with his jacket.  
“Dang it, I’ll have to remove your jacket to get this off.” He muttered, grabbing a pair of scissors from a side table.  
The clockwork doll didn’t protest as Robbie snipped off the loose threads and hoisted him into a rough sitting position, given his lack of legs.  
“Geez, you’re heavy…” Robbie grumbled, fighting with the jacket to shimmy the doll out of it. After a minute of struggle, the jacket fell to the table, something weighted falling out of it and clattering to the floor.  
The clockwork Robbie’s eyes widened as he looked off to the side.  
“Oh no! M-My wallet!” He said.  
“Don’t have a cow. I’ll get it.” Robbie said, rolling his eyes. He laid the near-limbless torso of his double on the table as he crouched down to reach for the wallet, which had fallen under the side table. He snickered to himself as he grabbed the leather wallet, wondering to himself what could its contents be.  
“ _Probably some paper he thought was pretty. A few coupons or samples perhaps._ ” He thought to himself, flipping it open.  
Well, he didn’t expect to see two different credit cards. Did his double open up accounts under his name, or someone else’s?  
He’d have to have a talk with his creation about that.  
There were a few punch cards in the wallet for different food places, as well as a folded note with someone’s address on it. A quote from a book Robbie didn’t recognize was written on the side.  
But more interesting was a small book of wallet inserts, each filled with a photo. Robbie slowly thumbed through the collection. The first image was a picture of the ballerina, clearly her school photo from the blue background and the way she sat. The next photo was of a garden, filled to the brim with vegetables, fruit trees, and colorful flowers.  
The photo after that was of a woman that, while not Robbie’s type nor the usual person he’d be attracted to, was fairly pretty. She had long, honey blonde hair that draped past her shoulders, and a pair of rounded glasses sat perched on her nose. In the photo, she wore a short sleeved, red gingham button up. The photo seemed to have been taken when she was in mid-turn, as parts of her body were blurred, and her facial expression conveyed delighted surprise.  
He furrowed his brow and turned back to his double, who laid there watching his creator paw through his wallet.  
“Who’s - ?” Robbie asked.  
“Beatrix.” The clockwork doll said, his expression warming as he spotted which picture Robbie was looking at. “She and I were working in the garden that day. She looked so beautiful in the sunlight that I had to t-take a picture. Guess I c-c-caught her by surprise.” He said with a weak chuckle.  
Robbie slowly turned back to the wallet, flipping it to the next side.

The last photo in the wallet, and the newest one judging by the date printed on its lower right corner, featured his double, Beatrix, the ballerina, and the mechanical dog he hated. They were all posed at what looked like a carnival. His double was holding Beatrix close, planting a kiss on her cheek as she smiled contently, her mouth forming a toothy smile. She was hugging him back, a fluffy pink teddy bear the only thing standing between them. The ballerina was standing in front of them, throwing a peace sign while sticking her tongue out at the camera person. The mechanical dog was grinning with an open-mouth smile as well, its tongue sticking out.  
Another note was stuffed into an adjacent insert, its edges frayed and dog-eared.  
Robbie pulled out the note and carefully unfolded it, scanning the words written in loopy and elegant cursive.  


“ _To my dear Robbie,_  
  
Thank you for the note you wrote for me, and the lovely flowers you sent. I’ve tacked the note onto my fridge, and I read it every morning as I make coffee. It makes my days start out ever more warmly, and it reminds me of how much I love you every day.

_These last few months have been some of the best in my life. You make me feel so beautiful, and when I’m with you the world seems to melt away, blurring in the background so that the only thing that matters is being with you. I don’t think I’ve had so much fun with someone before, and your family is absolutely wonderful. You have the sweetest soul and kindest heart, kinder than any person I’ve ever known. You have a smile that lights up the room, and a steady compassion never-ending. Being with you is wonderful, and makes every single day an adventure._

_I hope that my note to you also helps make your mornings filled with more warmth and light than I imagine they already are. I love you, and I hope you never forget that._

_Sincerely,_

_Beatrix_ ”

Robbie slowly lowered the note, his expression confused and yet, saddened. He turned on his heel, glancing back at his double.  
His double gave a soft smile, looking dreamily at the note.  
“S-She sent that to me a few days after I penned her my own note. Ella h-helped me with the w-words. I remember…I compared her to the warmth of a summer’s day. I-I know that’s not very creative, but it’s what I could think of. A-And, I said how her love of fancy words was amazing to me, and how I loved hearing her talk because she sounds so wise and passionate. And t-that, whenever she’s with me, the world just feels so much brighter than it already is.” He said with a growing smile.  
Robbie bit his lip, a cold sensation running over his body.  
“She b-brings so much joy into my life. Her and Ella. T-They’re the lights of my life. Ella is such a fantastic kid, and so talented too! She’s so smart, she gets straight A’s in school and got the lead in the school dance – “  
“I get it.” Robbie said emptily.  
His clockwork double looked at him curiously.  
Robbie sighed and put the wallet down, rubbing his face in stress.  
“Robbie Rotten?” The clockwork doll asked.  
Robbie sighed again, more exasperatedly, shaking his head.  
“You really do love them. I get that. I just…” He said, burying his face completely in his hands. “…you’re _sentient_. Both you and the ballerina I bet.”  
He groaned.  
“And I made a sentient being go through the painful and no doubt traumatic experience of having his limbs removed one by one and being thrown around like a…like a doll.” He said, sinking to the floor. “Way to go _Rotten_. Screwing things up and hurting people _again_. You stupid, stupid – “  
“I’m not mad, it’s okay Robbie Rotten. You aren’t stupid.” The clockwork doll said with a half-smile.  
“ _How are you not_ \- !” Robbie started angrily, before stopping. He shook his head and let out a long sigh. “You…you forgive so easily even when I treated you like garbage. No one has _that_ kind of patience. I tossed you around, disregarded your feelings. Your…daughter was right to treat me like that. I screwed up this like I screw up everything – “  
“Stop.” The clockwork double said firmly.  
Robbie looked up, a few stray hairs falling into his face.  
“If you just say that you’re sorry, then things will be okay.” The doll said with a smile.  
Robbie gave him a look.  
“But that’s not enough – “  
“Maybe not, but it’s better than beating yourself up.” The double said.  
Robbie grimaced, crossing his arms as he twitched his nose. He opened his mouth, feeling the words tangle in his mouth, before he finally managed to utter,  
“I’m sorry.”  
His double smiled. “I forgive you.”

The two sat there in silence, the clockwork Robbie propping himself up with his one arm as Robbie sat back against the table, his head resting against the cool metal of the table’s leg.  
“So, uh, how long have you and…Beatrix? How long have you two been together?” Robbie asked awkwardly.  
His double smiled warmly.  
“Almost a year now.”  
“I’m surprised she didn’t come with you both.”  
“Ella wasn’t sure if that’d be a good idea.” The clockwork Robbie admitted.  
“Right. I didn’t exactly roll out the welcome mat. Guess she was right to not come along.” Robbie said with a weak laugh.  
The double peered down at the table, tapping his remaining fingers against its surface.  
“It’s almost funny, if it weren’t so sad.” Robbie muttered quietly.  
“What?” asked the double.  
Robbie looked up with what could be called strained frustration.  
“You seriously don’t know? It’s just, I _made you_. You’re supposed to be a perfect double of me, or roughly so. Yet…yet here you are! You’ve got a job somewhere, and don’t ask how I know. I saw your employee card in your wallet.”  
The clockwork Robbie shut his mouth.  
“You’re dating this woman who seems just amazing, and you have a daughter and a pet dog who adore you. You live in some white picket fenced house and everything sounds wonderful. You have everything anyone could ever want. And I’m still here!” Robbie spat, shaking. His eyes drifted down as he drew his knees closer.  
“I’m still here. No friends, unsuccessful as a villain. Don’t even…don’t even have someone special to me like you do. You somehow succeeded in everything that I can’t, and that’s why it’s so terribly sad that I have to laugh.” Robbie said with a weak smile.  
His robotic double bit his lip and, using his one arm, inched his way closer to the table’s edge.  
“I-It doesn’t have to be that way. Y-You could still have friends and family.”  
Robbie snorted and laughed sadly.  
“With who? The people in town? That’s already messed up beyond repair. All I do is try to ruin their games and steal their sportscandy. They wouldn’t want anything to do with me, and I don’t blame them.”  
“It’s never too late to try again.” The doll suggested.  
“And now you sound like that blue _cuckoo_ Sportacus.” Robbie groaned.  
“H-He could be right then!” The clockwork Robbie said with a smile.  
“But hang on, say you’re crazy enough to be right. What the heck happens next? I am most definitely not giving up my life of lazy bliss just to get some friends.” Robbie said.  
“Y-You don’t have to. Maybe you could find something you all enjoy doing?”  
“I doubt that.” Robbie grumbled.  
“Won’t know unless you try.” Clockwork Robbie said.  
“I know but - !” Robbie said, stopping as a thought crossed his mind. “…but that means having to see the _blue kangaroo_ again.”  
The clockwork Robbie looked down in confusion.  
“The hero! That flippity-flopping elf! Sportacus!” Robbie said exasperatedly.  
“I don’t think I met him.” The clockwork doll admitted.

“Well, ergh, that’s good! Because he’s the bane of my existence and, at one point, yours too!” Robbie said, flailing his arms.  
The clockwork doll watched with a confused expression.  
“That elf; things used to be great before he showed up! Things were slow and lazy, but now? He’s everywhere telling people to be active and noisy! I can’t walk ten feet up above without running into him! With all his flipping and smiling and his muscles – “  
Robbie clammed up at that moment, his eyes freezing wide open. His cheeks took on a pink color.  
“A-Anyways, he’s a nuisance and I want nothing to do with him!” He said with a nod. He shot a glare at his double. “And don’t give me that look! I’m being sincere!”  
“Alright, Robbie Rotten.” The doll said with a shrug.  
Robbie stood to his feet and crossed over to the doll’s side, looking for the button to detach the last arm.  
“But…s-supposing that you _did_ like him…” The doll started.  
“I DON’T.” Robbie said firmly. “Um, perhaps I should shut you off before I remove this last one.”  
“Before that though,” Clockwork Robbie said. “if you did, you could still try and get to know him.”  
Robbie frowned.  
“Even humoring your _stupid_ suggestion, it would never work. He’s a hero, and I’m a villain. He’s good, I’m bad. We’re polar opposites and nothing can fix that. Heck, even without all that, why would he want to date me? I don’t offer anything for him! I still mess everything up and I’d be a drain on his obnoxiously optimistic and perky life! Some good that’d be! That’s why I can’t ask him out, even if I want to, because I’m -” He went on, getting angrier and more emotional as he spoke. Once he finished, he stopped, his eyes dropping back down as he supported himself against the table.  
“You do like him?” asked the double.  
Robbie groaned and sunk down onto the table.  
“Is it that obvious?” he asked, his voice muffled.  
“Sort of.” The double admitted.  
Robbie lifted his head only enough to drop back down, hitting his forehead against the table’s surface.  
“Don’t laugh.” Robbie warned.  
“I wouldn’t do that.” Said Clockwork Robbie. “But I don’t think you offer nothing either.”  
“You’re lying.”  
“You made two toys that achieved sentience and are capable of love. I wouldn’t consider that nothing.” Clockwork Robbie said with a laugh.  
“Hmph.” Robbie grunted, not lifting his head.  
“Have you tried talking to him?”  
“About what?! Apples? Excessive gymnastics? We don’t have anything in common!” Robbie said exasperatedly.  
“How do you know that? Have you talked to him long enough to know that?” The double asked with a raised eyebrow.  
Robbie opened him mouth to respond, before slowly closing it. He bit his lip and furrowed his brow.  
“Just saying, you might as well try. You might be surprised! When I asked Beatrix out, I was afraid she and I wouldn’t share enough to make it work, but it turns out we both love books and going garden shopping! That was a start! We started just as friends and did something called “dating in progress”, and that worked great! Then we kept going out and finding more things we could share – “  
The clockwork Robbie continued to drone on about his own relationship advice and history, Robbie growing increasingly more tired as he continued. He was not having this conversation, and he was especially not having it with a robotic clone of _himself_. He did not want to know what a psychologist would say about this scenario, since he figured it’d be something bad.  
He looked up, seeing that his double was still talking, and reburied his face in his hands.

“ – and see, if you just give it time and keep trying, you never know! You could have the start of a fantastic relationship – “The clockwork Robbie continued enthusiastically.  
“Alright, time to turn you off.” Said Robbie decisively, turning the doll over.  
“What? Why??” asked the clockwork Robbie.  
“Because I have to remove your last arm and seeing that you actually perceive pain and psychological horror, I’m just going to turn you off for this and the reattachment procedure.” Said Robbie.  
“Not because you don’t want to hear what I’m saying?” Clockwork Robbie asked suspiciously.  
“Found the off button. Good night my double.” Robbie said quickly, pressing the button.  
Clockwork Robbie prepared to respond until he felt all of his energy drain away, his eyelids fluttering shut as his head sunk back against the table.  
Robbie sighed, running a hand down his face.  
Finally, things were quiet again.  
He pressed the button on the inside of his double’s armpit, detaching his arm, and pried open the lid on the arm, checking over the gears. This arm seemed the most in disrepair, with at least half of the gears needing replacements. He dug through a box, pulling out six different gears and setting them to the side.  
As he worked, he occasionally glanced at his double, laying still against the table. He frowned, and pointed a screwdriver at him.  
“I’m only going to say this because you’re finally off and can’t respond. I don’t care how much you say about me asking Sportacus on a date, I _know_ already it’s not going to work. And no matter what, I’m going to deny that I may or may not have a crush on him until the day I die. Got it? I am not humiliating myself on the off-chance that Sportacus might, _might_ like me back!” He said firmly.  
His clockwork double, of course, didn’t respond.  
Robbie sat there and gave an affirmative nod, fiddling with the doll’s arm. He threw out the worn gears and carefully replaced them with the new gears. His eyes still darted occasionally back to his double, his doll’s words echoing in his mind.  
His nose twitched as he grew uncomfortable.  
“…though, it would be great. Or, I mean, maybe it wouldn’t be too bad. I could still _try_. That Sportakook seems too nice to reject me flat out. Perhaps, at least, he’d let me down nicely. And if he did, I could shoot him out of town with a cannon!” Robbie said with a devilish laugh.  
His laughter died as he continued to think.  
“Aww, darn it. I couldn’t even do _that_. I’d probably feel bad.” Robbie admitted to himself. “Of course, softie side kicks me in the butt every time.”  
He thought more.  
“I hate to say it, but you’re right. I barely know Sportadummy, and he doesn’t know me. Perhaps asking him out isn’t the best idea. What were you talking about? ‘Dating in progress’? Is there a level before that?” He pondered.  
He frowned. “Oh, right. Friendship. That isn’t daunting or anything. And it wouldn’t just be being friends with him, I’d be trying it with _six_ of them.”  
He continued to work, reattaching the finished arms to the clockwork doll’s torso. He moved down the table, reaching for the legs.  
“I could just not try. Just ignore what I want to do like usual. Worked for me in the past!” Robbie said with a smile. The smile instantly vanished. “Right, worked for me. If working for me means being lonely all the time and annoyed with their games.” He grumbled.  
He sighed exasperatedly, giving a resigned look to his double.  
“Fine, you’re right. Perhaps I should try and be nice to them. But I’m only trying once, got it? If they say no, I’m _never_ trying again! And I’ll shoot Sportacus out of a cannon! Win-win scenario!” He said with an evil laugh.

One more click later, and the clockwork Robbie was completely reassembled.  
Dusting off his hands, Robbie grinned and observed his handiwork. It was way more effort than he ever wanted to expend, but at least it was done.  
Strolling over towards the doll’s upper back, Robbie prepared to press the power button once more when he stopped.  
Robbie twisted his lip, looking thoughtfully at the doll.  
“ _I mean, I could just turn him on. But after everything I did to him, that seems a little wrong doesn’t it?_ ” Robbie thought, tapping his cheek as he looked over his creation.  
He eyed the doll’s key, suddenly getting an idea.  
He strode back over towards his bookshelf, tossing aside the blueprints and schematics, digging through piles of paper.

“I know it’s here somewhere. If I can find it, this should make up for what I did earlier…” Robbie muttered to himself as he searched.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay! This fic isn't dead! Thanks to Vappy for giving me the kick in the butt to work on this fic again XD
> 
> See, told you Robbie would get a nice taste of guilt. Couldn't have him be a jerk for the entirety of this fic, could I?
> 
> There's one last chapter left, not sure when it'll be up but hopefully not a month from now lol. Thank you everyone for your patience and hope you enjoyed this chapter!
> 
> Thank you for reading!


	5. Chapter 5

“Ella? Are you okay? You haven’t touched your ice cream yet.” Asked Ziggy.

Ella blinked slowly, before finally shrugging.  
“ _Well, first of all, I actually can’t eat ice cream. No digestive system_.” She signed, setting her popsicle down.  
“She said she can’t eat ice cream.” Sportacus translated, before taking a bite from his mango.  
Ziggy blushed.  
“Oh. Oops, I’m sorry. I didn’t even think about that.”  
“ _It’s okay._ ” Ella signed. “ _And…I’m just worried about my dad. I hope he’s doing okay._ ”  
Sportacus gave her a reassuring smile.  
“I bet he’s doing great, Ella! Adults can sometimes just talk for a long time.” He said, his smile fading. “…or do your uncle and dad not get along?”  
Ella cringed.  
“ _Sort of. It’s…complicated._ ” She signed, her eyes sinking to her lap.  
Trixie looked over.  
“Is Ella okay?” She asked.  
Sportacus gave a weak smile and nodded.  
“She’s just worried about her dad. I’m sure things will be fine though. What do you all think?”  
“Her dad? Where is he?” asked Stingy.  
“He’s with her uncle.” Sportacus said.  
“Oh? Who’s her uncle?” asked Pixel.  
Sportacus paused.  
“I…don’t know actually!” He said, turning to Ella. “Who _is_ your uncle?”  
Ella froze, and gulped down a thick breath. How would they respond knowing that her “uncle” was not just a villain, but the one villain that antagonized them week after week? Would they be accepting? Would they just assume she was evil like he was? And even worse, how would she explain that technically her father and uncle were sort of the same person?  
Ella was beginning to realize just how strange her life was, compared to the average person.  
“ _Well…_ ” She began to sign reluctantly. “ _…the funny thing is, my uncle is sort of…actually…_ ”

“ROBBIE ROTTEN!” The kids chorused together, having turned away from Ella.  
Ella winced, before turning towards where the rest of the group was looking. She almost didn’t notice the shade of pink Sportacus’s face took on once the villain’s name had been said.  
Robbie Rotten, looking very tired and sweaty, stood tall and faced the rest of the group with a frown. His arms were crossed, and his gaze turned rather pointedly to Ella.  
“Rottenella, I have something to tell you.” He said seriously.  
Ella frowned and stood to her feet, looking with contempt at her creator.  
The kids looked at each other confusedly, starting to put two and two together.  
“Is Robbie…her _dad_?” asked Ziggy, struggling to comprehend such an idea.  
Ella marched up to Robbie, her arms crossed and an angry look in her eyes. Tapping her foot, she stared up at her creator.  
“ _You better hope it’s good news._ ” She signed, knowing full well Robbie couldn’t understand her.  
Robbie rolled his eyes and shook his head.  
“You can drop the angry act, it’ll do you no good. Besides, it’s good news. I’ve fixed your dad.” He said, stepping away to point at his double, who was strolling up wearily behind him.  
Ella, immediately dropping her anger and distrust, was filled with joyous relief. She ignored Robbie as she dashed towards her father, jumping into his arms and hugging him tightly.  
Clockwork Robbie laughed and caught his daughter, hugging and spinning her around.  
“I-I see you missed m-me?” He asked.  
“ _More than you know! I’m so glad you’re okay!_ ” Thought Ella as she held onto her father.  
Clockwork Robbie bounced Ella up to readjust his grip and kissed her forehead, giving her another hug.  
“I heard you playing with the other kids. I-It sounded like you were having f-fun!” He said.  
Ella nodded happily.  
“ _They’re all so nice! And they wanted to play with me right away!_ ”  
Clockwork Robbie smiled knowingly.  
“I t-told you they’d like you. K-Kids can be pretty f-forgiving.” He said.  
“ _They can be mean too._ ” Signed Ella.  
“Y-Yeah, but that wouldn’t have e-e-encouraged you.” Clockwork Robbie said with a laugh.

As father and daughter reunited, the kids watched on in dazed confusion.  
“So Robbie is her father… _and_ uncle?” asked Trixie.  
“That does not compute.” Pixel noted.  
“That’s just weird.” Stingy said, scrunching his nose.

Clockwork Robbie gently placed Ella back on the ground as Robbie cleared his throat.  
“Right, well I repaired your father, just like I said. In return, I think I deserve an apology, don’t you think?” He said expectantly.  
Ella’s frown returned as she shot a dangerous glare at her creator.  
Clockwork Robbie sighed.  
“H-He has a point, Ella. He r-r-repaired me and gave me something extra w-without need.” He said with a smile, pointing to his back.  
Ella paused, then glanced at her father’s back, giving a silent gasp.  
The key was gone.  
She took a step and snapped her attention back to Robbie.  
“Yeah, well, your father is surprisingly wise and deep, so I thought I’d give him a quick upgrade. He’s now powered by a solar battery that has a long lifespan, so he won’t need a replacement for, oh, a few decades.” Robbie said plainly. “Nothing too big, but still.”  
“So, I t-think an apology would be a-appropriate.” Clockwork Robbie coaxed.  
Ella sighed and stepped up to her creator, her frown softened slightly.  
“ _Sorry. I shouldn’t have been so aggressive. You’re still a jerk though._ ” She signed.  
Clockwork Robbie gave her a look before he smiled at his creator.  
“S-She said sorry.”  
“A lot of signs to just say sorry.” Robbie mumbled suspiciously, before waving her off. “Eh, it’s fine though. And hey, if you’d like I can give her a battery too. You know, if you want.”  
Clockwork Robbie’s eyes widened.  
“Y-You’d do that?”  
Robbie shrugged.  
“Sure. Not like I’m doing anything important.” He said, squeaking as he felt a hand clap on his shoulder.

He turned, looking straight into Sportacus’s eyes. A blush cloaked his cheeks.  
“That was really nice of you, Robbie! I’m so proud of you!” Sportacus said with a warm smile.  
A silly smile crossed his face, giving Robbie a dopey look, before he cleared his throat and shook his head.  
“I-I didn’t do this to make _you_ proud, Sportadoof. It was a simple repair job that I did under threat.” He said defiantly.  
Clockwork Robbie sighed and shook his head disappointedly. Ella rolled her eyes.  
Robbie, noticing this, bit his lip.  
“But, uh, thanks. It was, um, no problem.” He said softly.  
Sportacus smiled, looking at Robbie with a warm expression.  
“I do mean that, by the way. This was really nice of you.” He said.  
Robbie’s blush darkened.  
“Uh, thanks.” Robbie mumbled. “L-Listen, Sportadu – Sportacus, I was uh wondering if…you know…maybe you’d like to…”  
The rest of Robbie’s question devolved into mumbles.  
“Sorry?” Sportacus asked, cocking his head to the side.  
Robbie grimaced, his blush a bright red, as he tried to ignore Sportacus’s rather cute reaction.  
“Y-You know, I was wondering if you’d like to hang…” Robbie said, the rest mumbled once more.  
“I’m sorry Robbie, what are you – “  
“Hang out! Would you like to hang out? Platonically! Or…Or whatever!” Robbie spat out, throwing his hands over his mouth once he realized what he’d just said.  
Sportacus’s blush darkened, a grin crossing his face as he laughed.  
“Of course! I’d love to hang out!” He responded.  
Robbie looked in surprise at the hero.  
“Wait…wait…really?” He asked in disbelief.  
Sportacus nodded.  
“Absolutely! I’m glad you finally asked!” He said.  
“Really?” Robbie asked, his elation being squashed once he thought of something. “B-But, I still don’t want to play sports! Nothing active, just…you know, hang.”  
Sportacus smiled and leaned in closer.  
“There’s a farmer’s market in the town over next weekend. Would that work?”  
Robbie’s blush returned. That suggestion sounded like the kids wouldn’t be involved. Did that mean Sportacus…?  
Robbie decided not to question it and nod enthusiastically, not caring how warm his face felt.  
He glanced to his side, seeing Clockwork Robbie give him thumbs up.  
He rolled his eyes, acting casual once Sportacus backed up and took his original pose, his fists on his hips.

The kids looked at each other in confusion.  
“Did…Did Robbie just ask Sportacus to hang out with him?” asked Trixie.  
“And why was Sportacus whispering?” asked Stingy, looking confused.  
“Today is just weird.” Ziggy commented, shrugging.  
Stephanie just smiled. She had an inkling about what was really going on, and she was more than happy about it.

Clockwork Robbie smiled as Robbie and Sportacus chatted more, watching from a distance. He looked down once he felt Ella pull on his sleeve.  
“ _What exactly_ did _you say to Robbie? He actually looks…happy._ ” She signed.  
Clockwork Robbie smiled knowingly and booped her nose.  
“J-Just helped him realize what h-he actually wanted.” He said with a shrug. “H-He did most of the w-work.”  
Ella smiled and stood with her hands on her hips.  
“ _You’re so helpful, Dad. But I think this means I’ll have a while to wait for my own battery._ ”  
“I’ll m-make sure he doesn’t f-forget.” Clockwork Robbie noted, ruffling his daughter’s hair.

A car horn drew everyone’s attention away. The group watched as a green sedan pulled up, and a woman with honey blonde hair climbed out the car, looking about expectantly.  
Ella grinned and ran towards her, jumping her with a hug.  
Mrs. Brown smiled and laughed, returning Ella’s hug.  
“Ella! I am so glad you’re okay!” She said.  
“ _I’ve been having such a great time! Everyone’s so nice here._ ” Ella signed happily.  
“Well, after you didn’t return my last text, I was a bit concerned. I know you wanted to go alone with your father, but I thought I could still drive by and check.”  
Ella’s eyes widened as she pulled out her phone, cringing at the unread message notification.  
“ _Sorry._ ” She signed.  
“It’s alright Ella.” Mrs. Brown said, standing back up as Clockwork Robbie approached her.  
Before Mrs. Brown could say anything, Clockwork Robbie pulled her close and pressed a kiss to her lips, dipping her dramatically as he did.  
Ella laughed and ducked out of the way, sticking her tongue out at the two.  
When Clockwork Robbie finally pulled away, Mrs. Brown laughed and panted.  
“Goodness! I see you missed me?” She asked.  
“H-How could I not?” Clockwork Robbie asked. “I-It felt like I was gone s-so long.”  
“You were only gone for two days.” said Mrs. Brown.  
“E-Exactly, too long.” Clockwork Robbie said with a smirk.  
Mrs. Brown rolled her eyes and chuckled, cupping Clockwork Robbie’s cheek and kissing him once more.

“You two should get a room.” Robbie commented, rolling his eyes.  
Mrs. Brown’s smile vanished as she stood back up, looking suspiciously at the organic Robbie.  
“You must be Mr. Rotten.” She said.  
Clockwork Robbie took her hand and rubbed it gently.  
“I-It’s okay Beatrix. Robbie Rotten is nice now.” He said.  
“Let’s not go overboard. I’m certainly not _nice_ , but,” He said, sighing and crossing his arms. “I at least fixed your boyfriend. And I promise, I didn’t sabotage him or anything. He’ll run just fine for the next ten years.”  
Mrs. Brown frowned and nodded, seeming uneasy.  
“I trust him, Beatrix.” Clockwork Robbie said. “H-He wouldn’t lie a-about this. And look! No more k-key!”  
Mrs. Brown looked behind Clockwork Robbie, her eyes widening as she noticed the key missing.  
“So, you adjusted his mechanisms to run without kinetic energy?” She asked.  
“Umm…I’ll say yes. He runs on battery now.” Robbie replied.  
“Similar answer.” Mrs. Brown said, finally smiling at Robbie. “Thank you, Mr. Rotten.”  
Robbie gave a small smile.  
“You two are a good match, I can see that. My double wouldn’t stop talking about you, I’ll have you know.”  
“Did he now?” Mrs. Brown said, giving a teasing look to her Robbie.  
Clockwork Robbie grinned.  
“I c-can’t help it. I l-love telling people about y-you.” He said.  
Mrs. Brown smiled and kissed Clockwork Robbie’s cheek.  
“Well, if you’re ready, I can drive you and Ella home. Unless you still need to do something here?” asked Mrs. Brown.  
“ _I still have to get my battery!_ ” Ella signed.  
“Right. I’ll get to that so you three can head on your way.” Robbie said, gesturing towards his lair.

The other kids looked distinctly disappointed as they turned to Ella.  
“Aww, you have to leave soon? Already?” asked Ziggy.  
“You just got here! Can’t you stay a little longer?” asked Trixie.  
Ella gave a sad look to her father and Mrs. Brown.  
Clockwork Robbie and Mrs. Brown looked at each other.  
“W-We have been meaning to take a v-vacation, haven’t we Beatrix?” He suggested.  
Mrs. Brown smiled.  
“Well, I was secretly hoping we could go to Hawaii, but LazyTown seems like a nice place to relax.” She said.  
“Trust me, it’s not.” Mumbled Robbie.  
Sportacus shook his head with a fond smile as he walked over to stand by Robbie.  
Ella looked excitedly at her father and Mrs. Brown.  
“ _So…we can stay for a little longer?_ ” She asked.  
Clockwork Robbie nodded.  
“O-Of course! Seems like we just got h-here after all.” He said.  
The kids cheered and ran towards Ella, pulling her with them so they could start another game.

Sportacus began to run after the children before stopping.  
“Robbie? Are you coming?” He asked.  
“Just a second.” Robbie said, before he turned to his double. “Alright, if you’re going to stay here, there’s only one thing you need to do.”  
Clockwork Robbie looked at his creator nervously.  
“Oh? W-What’s that?”  
He flinched as Robbie stuck something to his chest. He looked down to see a nametag, one that read, “ROBBIE ROTTEN’S DOUBLE”.  
“If you’re staying in town for a while, I am not putting up with getting mistaken for you. We might as well avoid that annoyance before it begins.” Robbie said, giving a joking annoyed smile.  
Clockwork Robbie laughed, watching as Robbie finally joined Sportacus and the kids.

Clockwork Robbie’s attention was drawn away from his daughter and her new friends as he felt Mrs. Brown lean against him.  
“So, since we’re on vacation, what would you like to do?” She asked.  
Clockwork Robbie smiled, and gave her a hug.  
“L-Let’s just take a walk t-together. I’ve been still f-for so long, I could use o-one.” He said.  
Mrs. Brown kissed his cheek.  
“That sounds wonderful.” She said.

The two walked off together, hand in hand, enjoying a quiet afternoon together. At the same time Ella enjoyed another round of hopscotch and tag, thrilled with the new friends she had to play with, and happy that despite how the last day or so had been, things had turned out better than expected.  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *looks at last update date*
> 
> Welp, it's been a while huh? Sorry about how long it took to conclude this fic, I guess I lost the energy for this fic for a while. But now it's done! I don't know if the ending is satisfactory, but I hope it's at least a cute enough conclusion! Everyone's happy and that's what matters, right?
> 
> Thank you all for your patience and thank you for reading!

**Author's Note:**

> I'm mostly writing this story to give me a break between writing chapters of Tomorrow's Wind Will Blow, so sorry if the updates are slow on this one and I promise this has a happy ending so don't worry there.
> 
> Thank you for reading!


End file.
